Archaeologists uncover Roman mosaic of cat Emerald and dog Ocean
Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a 1,800-year-old Roman mosaic featuring a cat named Emerald and a dog named Ocean. The find provides rare insight into Roman domestic life and the naming of household pets.
Why it matters
It offers a unique, humanizing glimpse into the daily lives and cultural habits of ancient Roman households.
Around 1,800 years ago, a Roman household in what is now Turkey decorated the floor of its home with a detailed mosaic showing animals and mythological figures. Among them were a cat and a dog whose names were written beside their images. Archaeologists have now uncovered the mosaic at the ancient city of Adramytteion on Turkey’s Aegean coast.The colourful floor was part of a Roman villa dating to the late second to third centuries AD, according to Live Science report. The residence had three halls arranged around a central atrium, along with several smaller rooms and a network of pipes and drains that may have been connected to a latrine. One of the halls appears to have been used as the main reception area of the villa.It was here that archaeologists found the large mosaic.
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