House of Fishing
About
At over 1,700 square meters, this was the largest house ever excavated at Bulla Regia, built around a courtyard sunk partly below ground and lined with marble columns quarried at nearby Simitthus (Chemtou). It took its name from a mosaic of cupids fishing found in its dining room. Archaeologists have traced nine separate building phases here; the underground mansion form the house is known for took shape well after Trajan's 117 CE death.
What happened here
A working estate with a comfortable house attached, and the proportions vary with how rich the owner is and how often he visits. The farm side has presses for oil and wine, threshing floors, storage sunk into the ground, stables and quarters for the workforce. The residential side has baths, dining rooms sited for the view, mosaics, and a garden with water in it. A manager runs the place year-round and reports; the owner arrives for the vintage and for the summer. Produce goes to market or to the owner's town house, and the accounts are kept in detail. Some villas are pure retreat with no farm at all, built on a cliff or a lake specifically to be looked at from a boat.
Sources
Nearby
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →