This summer, the Spanish city of Merida has become generous with archaeological finds. Recently, a bathhouse was discovered here, which, in its size, exceeds the baths in ordinary Roman villas. Now researchers have stumbled upon a mosaic depicting the Gorgon Medusa - a portrait of a monster with a female face and snakes growing from its head is often found by archaeologists.
The mosaic was unearthed in the northern part of the city, where in 1976 the ruins of a rich Roman house were first found. The remains of the once luxurious building turned out to be on private property, so full-scale excavations did not start until 2019, when the city authorities bought the site. The mosaic floor with Medusa is located on the site of a spacious room of 30 square meters. Perhaps there was a triclinium - a hall for feasts. The head of Medusa is in the center of the triclinium, it is surrounded by meanders (ornaments formed by broken lines at right angles) and images of animals, birds, fish, etc.
According to researchers, the mosaic dates back to the 2nd century BC. n. e. It is known that on the site of the current Merida in 25 BC. e. The city of Augusta Emerita was built - the capital of the province of Lusitania. In the VI century, there was a major center of the Visigothic kingdom, and since 713 the city was under the control of the Arabs.
