Orbe-Boscéaz, Archaeological site of Roman mosaics in Orbe, Switzerland

Orbe-Boscéaz is a Gallo-Roman villa site where nine floor mosaics are known and eight are open to the public, most kept in their original positions under five protective pavilions. The residential part measured over 200 metres long within a 16-hectare estate, and a welcome pavilion holds a scale model and an explanatory video.

The villa was built mainly between 160 and 180 AD, with private baths and a temple to Mithras. The first mosaics came to light in 1841, and the first scientific excavations were only carried out in 1896, leading to the site's classification as a historical monument in 1900. Aerial photographs in 1976 revealed a residential wing over 200 m long within a 16-hectare estate. Between 1986 and 2004, archaeology students from the University of Lausanne excavated the whole residential area and found the ninth mosaic.

The mosaic numbering follows the guide written by Victorine von Gonzenbach in 1974, reused in the 1997 archaeological guide. Mosaic 8, the deities of the week, shows thirteen medallions with Saturn, Sol, Luna, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus, plus Narcissus and Ganymede, framed by hunting scenes and busts of the seasons.

Eight of the nine known mosaics are open to visitors, most kept at their original locations; the Achilles mosaic in Pavilion V is shown only on rare occasions. The welcome centre holds a scale model of the villa and an introductory video. The site lies on the territory of Orbe in canton Vaud, and the mosaics stand in five separate pavilions, so allow time to move between them.

The site's Mithraic temple is not visible among the mosaic pavilions; the mosaics themselves were found at different times, from 1841 to the Achilles mosaic uncovered in 1993. The numbering of the nine known mosaics follows Victorine von Gonzenbach's 1974 guidebook, reused in the 1997 archaeological guide.