Find Spot: Villa below the basilica of San Sebastiano, Via Appia, Rome

Date of Illustration: Second/third century CE

Description: Emphasizing the continuity of some elements of ancient Greek practice is a scene from the Terme di Porta Marina in Ostia, Rome in which a player blows a long-slender salpinx. In this scene, although in Roman attire, his salpinx and the posture of the player could well be mistaken for scenes from much-earlier iconography and the player wears the crown which identifies him as the winner of the salpinx contest.

To the left of the salpinktes stands a naked athlete, a discus thrower, someone who had wasted oil and effort during the games. In the centre of this mosaic, the table carrying a prize crown and palm is depicted, identifying it as an agonistic depiction. However, beside this table is shown a large ball and a hoop and these are not items associated with the agon but with types of sport popular with Roman amateur athletes. Overall, therefore, the imagery is, according to Dunbabin, making allusions to the exercises of the baths and palaestra or gymnasium . As with many such mosaics, it is on the floor of the frigidarium, the cold room, one of the three main bath chambers of a Roman bath or thermae. It is also placed close to the palaestra or gymnasium, suggesting a connection between the imagery and the activities which took place within the building.

Citations:

Mercurelli, C., 1938. Bydraulus graffito su epigrafe sepolcrale del cimeterio di Commodilla. Rivista di Archeologia cristiana. Citta del Vaticano, p.95. Perrot, 1971, p.78, fig. 3

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