Architectural Structure, Mural Painting and Mosaics. About the Roman Villa of Almenara de Adaja-Puras (Valladolid, Spain)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Across the Douro Basin, in Spain, there are a number of remarkable uillae that have been documented both for their magnificent architecture and for the beauty of their mosaics. The Roman Villa of Almenara de Adaja-Puras, in the province of Valladolid, is one of them. Discovered and partially excavated in the first half of the 20th century, it was not until the beginning of the following century that it was completely excavated and, therefore, its decorative designs for floors and walls were uncovered. The most notable features are the good state of preservation of the mosaic floors -all of them are almost entirely preserved-, their distribution throughout the house, the presence of other types of flooring -opus signinum and mortar-, and also, the existence of a notable group of mural paintings, some of them preserved in situ, while others recovered from debris on pavements. Based on all these remains, the functionality of each room in the house is analysed in its entirety, taking into account the type of floor, the decorative content of the mosaics and the painted decoration of the walls. Finally, markings on the mosaics provide evidence of the internal circulation in the house.
Source: Journal of Mosaic Research
DOI: 10.26658/jmr.1814193
Author: Margarita Ana Sánchez Simón
Institution: Universidad de Burgos
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4416102368