Bikini girl – detail
Bikini girl – detail
Image by Xerones
I listened to the radio today to hear that it is the 60th anniversary of the bikini (first designed in 1947 and named after an atomic bomb testing facility in the Pacific ocean).
This mosaic was put down in about 300 AD, that is 1700 years ago and unless I am very much mistaken, the female athlete about to throw the discus is wearing a two-piece suit, or bikini.
Villa Romana del Castale is in central Sicily and contains over 3,500 sq. metres of Roman mosaics depicting sport, hunting (land and water) and mythical stories. It is now in the care of UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Note; the site would best be visted on an overcast day or early in the morning (it opens at 08:00h) both to get better, shadow-free pix and to avoid the heat (35′C plus at 12:00h and under the protective roof!).
Most people forget that the Romans have usually done it all before. I’ve blogged this at mosaik.wordpress.com.
fantastic detail… thanks for sharing!!! I have blogged a few of your photos at mosaicartsource.wordpress.com/ please feel free to let me know if you’d rather I didn’t…
bits
Nice photo! I found the mosaics in the roman villa in Piazza Armerina very impressive on my visit there.