ΖΜΑΡΑΓΔΙΝ and ΩΚΕΑΝΟΣ

A cat named Emerald and a dog named Ocean were memorialized in a Roman mosaic over 1,800 years ago.

Nearly two millennia ago, a wealthy Roman commissioned an intricate, multicolored floor mosaic that depicted two beloved household animals: a cat named Emerald and a dog named Ocean. The mosaic was a key feature of a villa, which archaeologists recently unearthed from beneath the ancient city of Adramytteion on Turkey's Aegean coast.

The impressive villa included three mosaic-paved halls, a number of secondary rooms, and a network of pipes and drains that may have connected to a latrine. Visitors approaching from the courtyard of the villa would have been greeted by the largest, most elaborate mosaic in the residence.

Only two of the animals depicted in the mosaic are named. As someone entered the room, the first mosaic panel they would have seen to their left was a pale cat seated on a blue-green cushion. Above the cat are the Greek letters ΖΜΑΡΑΓΔΙΝ (Zmaragdin), meaning emerald. The relaxed cat sitting on a cushion suggests that Emerald may have been a pet rather than a stray.

On the right side as someone entered the room was a mosaic panel depicting a running or leaping dog. This animal is labeled with the Greek letters ΩΚΕΑΝΟΣ (Okeanos), meaning ocean.

Emerald and Ocean were likely familiar to the villa's residents, even if they weren't specifically pets.

Source: https://www.livescience.com/archaeol...

#roman #archaeology