Celebrated Rutland mosaic depicts 'long-lost' Troy story connecting Roman Britain to the ancient classical world [View all]

[erronis]

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-celebrated-rutland-mosaic-depicts-lost.html
by University of Leicester

Section of Panel 1 of the Ketton Mosaic shows Hector, prince of Troy, in his chariot. Credit: ULAS

The team behind what has been described as "one of the most significant mosaics discovered in the UK" have revealed that it depicts an alternative "long-lost" telling of the Trojan War. The paper is published in the journal Britannia.

New research from the University of Leicester has conclusively determined why the famous Ketton mosaic in Rutland—one of the most remarkable Roman discoveries in Britain for a century—cannot depict scenes from Homer's Iliad as was initially believed. Instead, it draws on an alternative version of the Trojan War story first popularized by the Greek playwright Aeschylus that has since been lost to history.

The mosaic's images combine artistic patterns and designs that had already been circulating for hundreds of years across the ancient Mediterranean, suggesting that craftsmen in Roman Britain were more closely connected to the wider classical world than has been assumed.

The Ketton mosaic was discovered in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown by local resident Jim Irvine, leading to a major excavation by University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS). The mosaic and surrounding villa complex have since been designated a Scheduled Monument in recognition of their exceptional national importance. Historic England and ULAS undertook collaborative excavations at the site in 2021 and 2022 and are working together to publish the results of those investigations.

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Edited to add:
There are some incredibly well-preserved additional mosaics pictured in this article.