THE BUILDING WITH THE ANIMAL MOSAIC
In 1874 a surprisingly complete black-and-white mosaic was found in the quadriporticus of the Building with the Animal Mosaic by Pietro Rosa. The excavation is documented by a few photos only. Some more photos were taken between 1908 and 1910 after the mosaic had been lifted. The mosaic was then taken to the Museo Nazionale Romano (Chiostro Ludovisi, part of the Baths of Diocletian). The place of discovery was investigated for the first time in 1973 by Gabriella Simonazzi Masarich. In 2002 the mosaic was taken to an outdoor area next to the presidential residence at Castel Porziano, some 6 kilometres to the north-east of the place of discovery. The formal publication appeared in 2012 (Maria Nicoletta Pagliardi and Marina Magnani Cianetti). The mosaic has been dated to the second half of the 2nd century AD (a brick stamp from the quadriporticus can be dated to 154 AD).
The mosaic in its current setting. Photo: tgtourism.tv.
The mosaic in its current setting. Photo: Monica Berti, tufts.edu.In the centre of the courtyard of the quadriporticus is a fountain. One of the short sides has a loggia at a slightly higher level. Along the walls of the porticus were small marble slabs. The north-western short side does not touch the long sides and was at a slightly higher level.[1]
Click to enlarge. Photo: Pagliardi 2012, fig. 7. The two long sides show a procession of marine creatures. The marine procession on the south-west side moves towards the centre, from the left and right, the opposite procession moves from south-east to north-west. Horizontal lines indicate the sea. We see marine creatures, fishes, Nereids, Tritons and Erotes riding a dolphin. The creatures are part lion, ram, horse, deer, goat, bull, antilope and dog.
Photos: ICCD C004948 and ICCD C004960. List of ICCD photos. The two short sides show wild and and exotic animals, and some men. Most of the animals on the north-west side move to the right, to the north-east. The animals on the opposite side move to the left, so also to the north-east. The shadows of both the men and the wild animals are depicted. On the north-east side are larger and fewer men and animals than on the south-west side. The animals are the bear, lion, buffalo, dog, deer, panther, ostrich, boar, antilope, ass, horse and bull. Some of the animals are herbivores (ferae erbaticae), for the most part collected in Italy, others come from Africa and Libya. What we see is a preparation for the hunt, the venatio. This was a fight between animals and people, but also between animals, which is here suggested by a rope tying together a bull and a bear.
The ostriches are reminiscent of stories about Commodus, who was fond of the amphitheatre:
He was called also the Roman Hercules, on the ground that he had killed wild beast in the amphitheatre at Lanuvium; and, indeed, it was his custom to kill wild beasts on his own estate". In Rome, "from India and Ethiopia, from lands to the north and to the south, any animals hitherto unknown he displayed to the Romans and then dispatched them. On one occasion he shot arrows with crescent-shaped heads at Moroccan ostriches, birds that move with great speed, both because of their swiftness afoot and the sail-like nature of their wings. He cut off their heads at the very top of the neck; so, after their heads had been severed by the edge of the arrow, they continued to run around as if they had not been injured". "And here is another thing that he did to us senators which gave us every reason to look for our death. Having killed an ostrich and cut off his head, he came up to where we were sitting, holding the head in his left hand and in his right hand raising aloft his bloody sword; and though he spoke not a word, yet he wagged his head with a grin, indicating that he would treat us in the same way" SHA, Commodus VIII,5, translation D. Magie; Herodianus I,XV,5, translation E.E. Echols; Cassius Dio, LXXIII,21,1-2, translation E. Cary.
Photo: ICCD C004955. Photo: travelafricamag.com. It is very tempting to regard a graffito from Rome as a representation of Commodus killing ostriches (Haynes 2016). It has now vanished, but is documented on a photo from the 1930's. It was found below San Giovanni in Laterano, on the wall of a residential building that was in use in the second half of the 2nd century AD. On top are the Castra Nova equitum singularium, precisely dated to 193 AD. We see two dogs closing in on two ostriches, and a man on a horse. The left ostrich has its wings outstretched and seems to fall backwards. The head is not on the neck, but a bit to the right. The text above ([---]PITENDOANTOCI ?) has not been explained yet.
The graffito with ostriches from Rome. Photo: Haynes et al. 2016, fig. 2.On the north-west side men using cloths (mappae) drive the animals to the scene of the venatio on the south-east side. They wear tunics with braces and a high belt, while their legs are protected by bands. The actual hunters on the opposite side wear low boots and simple tunics. They use lances and daggers. Lances are also depicted as such, in a symbolic way.
Photo: ICCD E003223.
Photo: ICCD E003225.
Photo: ICCD C004938. Pagliardi adduces stucco reliefs in the tomb of A. Umbricius Scaurus in Pompeii as a parallel for the combination of the driving and hunting of animals. The figures are not accompanied by texts, which is customary in similar representations. Pagliardi concludes that therefore the mosaic does not refer to a specific event, which leads her to the hypothesis that the owner of the building supplied animals for shows in the amphitheatre.
The way in which the animals and men are depicted strongly suggests that the building was in some way related to the import of wild and exotic animals, kept in the vivarium that we discussed earlier. The mosaic does not reflect an actual venatio. There are no explanatory texts. The animals do not touch each other, not one of the animals is pierced by a lance, there are no wounded or dead animals lying on the ground. There is no indication of an amphitheatre, lances are depicted as symbols. The animals are depicted against a white background as if they are pictures from a scrapbook. The building may well have been the office of the Imperial officials in charge of the import, care and provision of the animals. The marine processions then refer to the transport by sea.
(1) North-west is the orientation given by Pagliardi and will be followed here. This is however the current orientation, the original orientation was north-east.
