History of York

There are few things more distinctively 'Roman' than mosaics.  From about the 2nd century they were used to decorate the houses of the wealthy citizens of Roman Britain.

This large piece of original flooring, as well as having complex patterns, depicts a woman's face.  The pupils of her eyes are made from single pieces of rounded black jet and her right cheek-bone and the side of her nose are highlighted in white.

It was found beneath a medival church floor on the street Aldwark, which is within the walls of the original Roman fortress of Eboracum (York).

The shape of the piece suggests that it probably formed the floor of a corridor.