Saturday, January 12, 2019

Palestrina's amazing Nile Mosaic



The Nile Mosaic is located in the town of Palestrina, about 30 km east of Rome.  It’s one of largest (20 by 13 feet or 6 by 4 meters) and most fascinating works of art.  















The mosaic dates back to the 1st centuries B.C. and its author remains unknown. It depicts a flooded Nilotic landscape, inhabited by animals both real and imaginary, Ptolemaic Greeks, Aethiopian hunters and priests performing rituals in their magnificent temples.   The famous Barberini family removed the mosaic and took it to Rome in the 1600s where it had been first discovered.  It was then returned to Palestrina but was damaged in the process and had to be once again restored.   During the Second World War, to avoid damage from the allied bombings, the mosaic was again removed but is now again on display in Palestrina.



































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