Rare Roman Mosaic Showing Ancient Chariot Race Unearthed In Cyprus

A one-of-a-kind mosaic floor believed to be from the 4^th century showing scenes from a chariot race in the hippodrome had been unearthed in Cyprus said a Cypriot archaeologist.

According to Science Alert, the floor was decorated with scenes from an ancient chariot race running inside a hippodrome which is an ancient Grecian stadium. The mosaic is the first of its kind to have ever found in Cyprus, and is one of a handful of depictions discovered around the world.

"It is an extremely important finding, because of the technique and because of the theme," Cyprus's director of the Department of Antiquities, Marina Ieronymidou, told the press earlier this week. "It is unique in Cyprus since the presence of this mosaic floor in a remote inland area provides important new information on that period in Cyprus and adds to our knowledge of the use of mosaic floors on the island," she continued.

Phys.org reported that the mosaic is 11 meters long and 4 meters wide (36 by 13 feet) but the excavation process has not been completed yet. Archaeologists think it's part of a villa that may have been owned by a wealthy individual or noblemen when Cyprus was ruled by the Romans. The mosaic was found about 30 kilometers west of the country's capital Nicosia. It gives new information about the ancient of the island's interior, something that is not known to a lot of people.

Researchers have also noticed that most of the important ancient discoveries on the island are usually along the coast, mainly because this is usually the place where cities and towns blossom with antiquities. In 1939 a farmer found a small piece of decorated floor. But it was not completely dug up until many years later because of the amount of work that had to be done on other sites, Hadjichristofi explained, Mail Online reported.

Cyprus was once an island rich in antiquity. It became well- known for producing copper, timber from its thick forests, as well as pottery, and many examples of all these have been discovered in neighboring countries, said Hadjichristofi. "We know that Cyprus was once wealthy, the latest discoveries confirm this," she ended.