Mosaic with Horses
Mosaic
Tunisia
Tunisia, Sousse, House of Sorothus
Fragmentary mosaic depicting horses. The first scene depicts variously coloured horses drinking and eating with mountains and buildings above them. The second scene consists of two medallions, each depicting two horses facing a palm tree that stands between them. Each of horse on the left is branded with SORO on its hindquarters and THI on its shoulder while the horse on the right has the mark of the stable on its hindquarters. Above each horse its name is inscribed. One medallion identifies the bridled horses as ADORANDVS and CRINITVS. The other medallion the horses wear neck ornamentation and are identified as AMOR and DOMINATOR.
Sousse Archaeological Museum, Tunisia
The house in which this mosaic was discovered has been identified as the home of a famous breeder of racehorses and dates to the end of the 2nd century CE to the beginning of the 3rd century CE (Yacoub 1995: 203). The mosaic was created to commemorate the owner's estate and his favourite and most successful horses (Dunbabin 1978: 94).
Dunbabin, Katherine M.D. The Mosaics of Roman North Afica: Studies in Iconography and Patronage. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978. Dunbabin, Katherine M. D. Theater and Spectacle in the Art of the Roman Empire. New York: Cornell University, 2016. Yacoub, Mohamed. Splendeurs des mosaiques de Tunisie. Ministere de la Culture, de la Jeunesse et des Loisiors: 1995.
Attributed to Angela Kalinowski under the license CC-BY-NC 4.0
CC-BY-NC 4.0
Angela Kalinowski
Photographer
RomanMosaicHorseAnimalInscription
2nd c. CE
