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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