Woodchester Roman Villa was occupied between the early 2nd and late 4th centuries AD. There is now nothing visible of the villa above ground and the site is occupied by a later churchyard. The villa's most famous feature is the Orpheus mosaic, the second largest of its kind in Europe and one of the most intricate. It dates to c. AD 325 and was re-discovered by Gloucestershire-born antiquarian Samuel Lysons in 1793. It has been uncovered seven times since 1880, the last time in 1973, but there are no plans to reveal it again. It depicts Orpheus charming all forms of life with his lyre and has been praised for its accuracy and beauty. A replica mosaic, made of more than one-and-a-half million pieces of stone, was created by brothers John and Bob Woodward, who were inspired after seeing the original pavement1.
Villa at Woodchester
Nearby sites
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Nympsfield Long Barrow
Neolithic burial site or barrow
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Nympsfield -
Nympsfield
Neolithic Chambered Long Barrow.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Nympsfield -
Longman's Barn Farm
Romano-British farmstead 200m south west of Longman's Barn Farm
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Avening -
Villa at Frocester Court
Villa at Frocester Court (FROCESTER COURT ROMAN VILLA)
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Frocester
