Villa Rustica

Everyday life on a Roman estate

Besides the Roman gravestone there is another find from the Roman period in Altmünster:
The foundations of a Villa Rustica are excavated, but the remains are very sparse and not presentable.

As the seasons change, the estate yields richly. In the middle of the mosaic you can see the impressive villa itself, fortified by a perimeter wall and corner towers. An arcade runs across the entire width of the front, providing shade in summer and absorbing the warmth of the low sun in winter. Four domed buildings represent the private bathing complex of the villa.

The central motif of the villa is surrounded by various scenes with slaves bringing agricultural products to the master and mistress of the estate: ducks, olives and a lamb.

In the middle of the mosaic, the master is off on a hunt, opposite him a hunter is leaving the villa rustica.

In the lower part of the mosaic, slaves bring roses and fish to the mistress. Directly adjacent, the landowner supervises work in the vineyard. He is presented with a dove, a hare and two waterfowl, as well as a scroll with his name on it.

The repeated motif of handing over underlines that not only the slaves, but all the products they generate become the property of the owners.

Overall, of course, the mosaic does not depict reality, but an idealized, prestigious life. Costly venison and poultry stand for luxury and abundance. The scenes show the change of seasons – roses represent spring, trips on horseback stand for summer and in autumn the fruit and grape harvest is monitored.

The scene with the seated mistress being presented with ducks, olives and lambs depicts winter.