Pitney villa was a substantial Romano-British courtyard villa in central Somerset, occupied principally during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. It is best known for an exceptionally fine polychrome mosaic depicting Bacchus and a series of mythological figures arranged in octagonal panels, indicating a wealthy late-Roman proprietor.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The villa lies within the densely settled villa landscape of the Somerset levels and Polden Hills, an area of agricultural prosperity linked to the towns of Ilchester (Lindinis) and Bath, and to the regional mosaic workshops. Its rich figurative pavement places it among the better appointed late-Roman villas of the south-west, comparable to nearby Low Ham, Lufton, and Littleton.
The site was uncovered in 1828 by Samuel Hasell, who recorded the mosaic in detailed coloured drawings (now the principal record), though the pavement itself was subsequently lost or reburied. Modern excavation has been limited; the plan of the villa beyond the mosaic room is poorly understood, and most knowledge of the site depends on the 19th-century antiquarian record.
Pitney villa was a substantial Romano-British courtyard villa in central Somerset, occupied principally during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a villa site from the Roman period in Britain.
Pitney is classified as a Roman villa — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Low Ham Roman villa (1.7 km), Low Ham (2.1 km), High Ham (2.5 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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