GEOMETRIC FLOOR IN OPUS SECTILE, C4 CE. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA OF THE OSPEDALE DI S. GIOVANNI The discovery of two statue bases naming L. Licinius Sura give us the identity of the owner of a vast domus on the Caelian hill near the property of the Plautii Laterani, of a similar date, which gave the toponym "Lateran" to the cathedral of Rome. Sura was a general under the emperor Tiberius and an ancestor of the Licinius Sura who was a close friend (lover?) of the early C2 emperor Trajan. The latter Licinius Sura had a different house on the slope of the Aventine. The Lateran domus of the Licinii Surae had extensive gardens making use of the huge amount of aqueduct water that crossed the area, and a gigantic cistern remains to show part of the property's hydraulic work. This floor in serpentino, porphyry, giallo antico, and other marbles was found in a room adjoining the garden.

#MosaicMonday takes us back to the #Lateran quarter in #Rome, where the remains of a shattered #opussectile floor from the C4 CE show the longevity of the huge #domus of L. #Licinius #Sura, a general of #Tiberius in the early C1 CE. #AncientBluesky 🏺