Lullingstone Roman Villa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lullingstone Roman Villa |
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The enclosed interior of Lullingstone Villa
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Romano-British Villa |
| Location | Lullingstone |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°21′50″N 0°11′47″E / 51.3640°N 0.1964°E |
| Construction started | 1st century |
| Demolished | 5th century |
Lullingstone Roman Villa is an ancient Roman house built in Kent, England, during the time the Romans ruled Britain. It's located near the village of Eynsford, in the beautiful Darent Valley. This area was popular, as six other Roman villas were also found nearby.
The villa was first built around 80-90 CE (that's about 1,900 years ago!). Over time, it was made bigger and lived in by people until a big fire destroyed it in the 4th or 5th century. The people who lived here were probably wealthy Romans or native Britons who had started to live like the Romans.
Around 150 CE, the villa was greatly expanded. Some clues suggest it might have been a country home for the Roman governors of Britain. Two marble statues found in the cellar might even be of a governor named Pertinax and his father-in-law. Later, in the 4th century, a room that was already used for religious purposes became one of the earliest known Christian chapels in Britain!
After the Romans left, during the Anglo-Saxon period, the ruins of a Roman temple on the villa site were used to build a Christian chapel. This chapel was still there when the Normans conquered England in 1066. Besides the chapel and dining room mosaics, other cool artworks like the Lullingstone Victory Gem and the marble statues were found here.
History of Lullingstone Villa
Building the Villa
The very first part of Lullingstone Roman Villa was built around 82 AD. It was in a good spot, close to other villas and near Watling Street. This was an important Roman road that connected major Roman towns like Londinium (London), Durobrivae (Rochester), Durovernum Cantiacorum (Canterbury), and the big port of Rutupiæ (Richborough).
Making the Villa Bigger
Around 150 AD, the villa grew. A heated bath area with a special heating system called a hypocaust was added. This part was rebuilt around 290 CE after the villa was empty for nearly 100 years. The two marble statues found in the cellar, from the 2nd century, might show the villa's owners. Some think they are of Pertinax, who was governor of Britain in 185-186 CE, and his father.
In the 3rd century, the heating system got a bigger furnace, and the bath area was expanded. A temple-mausoleum (a tomb that looked like a temple) and a large granary (for storing grain) were also built. In the 4th century, the dining room got a beautiful mosaic floor. One part of the mosaic shows the god Zeus (or Jupiter) turning into a bull to carry off Europa. Another part shows Bellerophon fighting the Chimera, a mythical monster.
Destruction and Rediscovery
Early in the 5th century, a fire destroyed the villa. It was then left empty and forgotten for many years.
The first hint of the villa was found in 1750. Workers putting up a fence for a deer park accidentally dug through a mosaic floor. People noted this, but no one dug further.
The villa's ruins were truly rediscovered in 1939 by E. Greensfield and E. Birchenough. They saw Roman walls and mosaic pieces under a fallen tree. From 1949 to 1961, archaeologists finally dug up the site. The ruins were then protected by a special cover in the 1960s. English Heritage took over the site and opened it to the public. The cover started leaking later, so a big renovation project happened from 2006 to 2008 to keep the artefacts safe.
G.W. Meates, an archaeologist, wrote reports about the first digs. He described finding the villa's boundaries, coins, pottery, and different rooms. He also made a rough timeline of the villa, from the 1st century CE to after the Roman period, explaining its uses and its destruction.
Periods of Occupation
The First Century CE
During the first digs in the 1950s, clues from different centuries were found, helping to create a timeline for the villa. The oldest clues are from the 1st century CE. Many pieces of pottery were found on the hillside where the villa stood. These pottery pieces were handmade and showed signs of "Belgic culture," from a group of people living in Britain before the Romans.
The Second Century CE
During the time of the Flavian dynasty and Nerva–Antonine dynasty (Roman emperors), the full size of the villa wasn't known from the early digs. However, we know the Bath Room was built then, and possibly the Basement Room too. Clues from different layers of clay suggest the stairs to the basement were built in this period, not later as first thought.
The Third Century CE
Based on pottery, it seems Lullingstone Roman Villa was empty for at least the first half of the 3rd century CE. Coins found at the site show that people started living there again in the second half of the 3rd century, during the reigns of emperors Claudius II and Allectus. It's believed that the pagan shrine and Christian rooms were built after the villa was reoccupied. Also, some of the villa's main outside buildings, like the granary and the temple, were built in the 3rd century CE.
The Fourth Century CE
The 4th century was a busy time for the villa, with big renovations. It's also likely that the fire that destroyed it happened then. Some changes included designing the mosaic floor in Room 5 and building another room. To figure out when the mosaic floor was built, archaeologists found coins of Constantine II mixed into the concrete.
After the Roman Period
The first digs in the 1950s found no signs that anyone lived at the villa site from its destruction until at least medieval times. However, English Heritage has found some things like a "hanging bowl" and other Anglo-Saxon pottery pieces. These clues suggest the site might have been used as a burial ground in early Anglo-Saxon Britain.
Rooms of the Villa
Dining Room
The dining room, also called a triclinium, was in the middle of the main villa building. It was the largest room on the western side and connected all the other rooms to the north and south through a big porch. The dining room was highly decorated with two large mosaic floors from the mid-4th century.
- One mosaic shows the god Jupiter (or Zeus) turning into a bull to carry off the princess Europa.
- The other mosaic shows Bellerophon killing the Chimera, a monster, surrounded by four sea creatures like dolphins. In each corner of this mosaic, there's a picture of one of the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn.
Around these mosaics were smaller pictures of hearts, crosses, and swastikas. While these artworks usually tell myths, some experts think they were also meant to protect against the Evil Eye. The room was big, about 6.25 meters by 4.88 meters, and likely had space for a couch where three people could recline while eating. This couch would have faced the mosaics so everyone could see them.
Bath Wing
The bath wing was probably built during the Flavian-Antonine period and was used and updated throughout the villa's history. After the villa was empty for almost a century, the Bath Wing was renovated again. During the first digs, archaeologists found a "combustion chamber" in the Bath Wing. This chamber, filled with chalk, also had signs of burned charcoal, which was likely used for heating the baths.
Basement Room
During the first digs, it was thought that the Basement Room had several uses, including being a garden room. It's important to know that "basement" here doesn't mean the same as a modern basement. The room's walls were brightly decorated with orange, red, and green panels. Based on clues, the room was probably 8 feet tall. When the villa was abandoned, the Basement Room was badly affected. Many materials from the walls and stairs were taken, and they weren't replaced until people moved back into the villa. When it was reoccupied, the Basement Room's walls were redecorated, and pottery was added. Parts of the mosaic and plaster from the room above fell into the Basement Room when the fire destroyed the villa. This kept many clues safe until the Lullingstone digs began in 1949.
Pagan Shrine and Christian Chapel
One room in the villa was used first as a pagan shrine and later as a Christian chapel. This makes it one of the earliest Christian chapels found in Britain. Along with this chapel, there were 3 or 4 other rooms that were also used for Christian purposes, possibly including an Antechamber and a Vestibule.
The original pagan shrine room was dedicated to local water gods. A wall painting showing three water nymphs from this time can still be seen in a special alcove in the room.
After the 3rd century, this alcove was covered up. The whole room was redecorated with white plaster and red stripes. Two statues of men were placed in the room. Some experts believe that at this point, the people living there started to worship household gods and ancestor spirits more, moving away from the water gods.
In the 4th century, the room above the pagan shrine was changed for Christian use. It had painted plaster on the walls showing standing worshipers (called orans) and a special Christian symbol called a Chi-rho. Some of these paintings are now on display at the British Museum.
English Heritage, which looks after the site, says:
The discovery of the Christian house-church is unique for Roman Britain, and the wall paintings are very important worldwide. They are some of the earliest signs of Christianity in Britain and are almost one-of-a-kind. The closest similar examples come from a house-church in Dura Europus, Syria.
Almost as amazing as finding the house-church is the idea that pagan worship might have continued in the room below. It's not clear if the family was trying to please both old and new gods, or if some family members held onto old beliefs while others became Christian.
The exact purpose of the chapel, other than worship, isn't fully known. But it's thought it was used for "liturgical worship," like baptisms. Because the Christian artwork was large, K.S. Painter suggests that the villa's owners at this time were not only Christians but also wealthy.
Graves
A Roman-Celtic temple-mausoleum (a temple-like tomb) was built around 300 AD. It held the bodies of two young people, a male and a female, in lead coffins. The young woman's coffin was robbed long ago, but the other one was found untouched and is now on display at the site.
Art and Artefacts
The Victory Gem
The Victory Gem was found during the first digs by G.W. Meates. It's a "Roman cornelian intaglio," which is a small, carved gemstone. Intaglios like this were usually set into rings. Because of its size (23 by 19 by 5 mm), it's thought its ring was very large. It's one of the biggest gems ever found in Britain! Since there were also traces of precious metals like gold on the gem, Martin Henig suggests the ring once belonged to a very important and rich man. The gem shows the goddess Victory writing a message of triumph on a shield. It has Greek features, showing elements of the goddesses Nike and Aphrodite.
Busts
The two marble statues (busts) found in the Basement Room are believed to show Pertinax, who was governor from 185-186 CE, and his father, Publius Helvius Successus. Some experts think these busts tell us who owned the villa in the 2nd century. One of the busts is thought to be from the time of Emperor Hadrian. Both busts are quite well-preserved, but the second, larger one was more damaged when it was found. The excavation reports don't say exactly why they were placed in the Basement Room. However, it was noted that after the villa was abandoned, the people who moved back in might have decided to keep them for their own reasons.
See also
In Spanish: Villa romana de Lullingstone para niños
