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An excavation that aimed to discover hidden Roman artefacts in the town of Hinton St Mary in Dorset has unearthed a second mosaic close to the discovery of one of the most fascinating pieces of mosaic art ever made.
The Hinton mosaics date back to the fourth century AD, during the later part of the Roman occupation of Britain that inspired the nation’s love for mosaic effect tiles.
They were found in what is believed to be the remains of a workshop in what was Durnovaria, and are notable not only in terms of scale and size but in terms of the subject of the figure in the room, which is believed to be one of the earliest known depictions of Jesus Christ.
It is a bust of a man with the Greek letters “Chi” and “Rho” shown behind his head, which are the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek, which some scholars believe is the earliest known representation of the religious figure in mosaic form.
The amalgamated symbol is commonly used in Christianity, and the surrounding pomegranates were a symbol of immortality in Ancient Rome. Some have gone as far as to claim the four people in the corners of the floor mosaic are meant to depict the four authors of the Gospel: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
However, other historians disagree and present alternative theories. As the mosaic was found on the floor, some have questioned whether Catholic Rome would have allowed an image of the messiah to be walked on, although it must be noted that pagan Rome seemed to have fewer misgivings about this.
As well as this, this figure is lacking the halo that was almost always seen as a symbol of divinity in Roman depictions of Christ.
Alternative theories for the man’s identity include Christian Emperors such as Constantine The Great and his four sons, who also used the Chi-Rho symbol, although even this is seen as somewhat unusual.
Others have speculated that it was a depiction of the villa owner himself.
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