The Gallo-Roman Museum exhibits several beautiful Roman mosaics in their galleries. The most spectacular of these many incredible inlaid mosaic floor was discovered in 1806 in Ainau district of Lyon. The Circus Games Mosaic, a 2nd century Roman mosaic depicting a chariot race, is one of  the most prestigious pieces in the museum collection. The Gallo-Roman city, then known as Lugdunum, possessed a circus with tiered seating and wooden galleries. The mosaic depicts a chariot race along the long wall around water-filled basins decorated with dolphins and balls that are moved to mark the end of each race. The turns of the race are counted with statues of dolphins spitting water  and balls put on poles.  Several moments of the race are represented in the same scene: on the top, three characters occupy the official stand. They will give the starting signal by dropping a white napkin. Chariots with four harnessed  horses or quadriga are rushing forward, running counter-clockwise. Eight of these quadriga chariots depicted in the mosaic bear different colors, with the drivers wearing different shirt colors, each belonging to a different team. The mosaic depicts how dangerous the chariot races were, as two of the chariots missed the turn and are overturned. In the center of the mosaic, two children hold a palm and a laurel crown that will reward the winner.  This mosaic is considered to be one of the most interesting finds, as it reveals details of the lifestyle during the Roman era in Gaul.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. Mosaic head of Bacchus or Dionysus. 2. Detail: Chariots at Full Rush, carved limestone discovered in 1874 The balustrade is decorated with laurel wreaths and garlands. On the upper part of the panel, boundary stones are represented, located at every turn of the circus. The reins are rolled up around the waist of the drivers, who hold a whip. 3. Detail, one of several patterns in a 2nd century mosaic floor. 4. Mosaic: Bacchus-Dionysus or the Indian, c. 2nd-3rd century AD.  In this mosaic, the god of wine is sitting on a black panther, which recalls the a scene of triumph in India, a country is is said to have conquered.   Center, Top: Circus Games Mosaic, c. 2nd century. This mosaic depicts the chariot races. One of the chariots in the corner has been overturned. Center, Middle:  Complex details depicted in a 2nd-3rd century mosaic floor. Center, Bottom: Geometric patterns in a 2nd-3rd century Gallo-Roman mosaic floor. Right Column: 1. Mosaic: Eros and Pan’s Fight. c. 1st half of the 3rd century AD. Eros won the fight, symbolic of the superiority of love over bestial desire embodied by the god Pan, who was known for tirelessly harassing nymphs and young boys. The Fire Pan that stands in the middle of the mosaic floor. Though complex domestic heating systems were known in Gallo-Roman times, such as underground heating  with fire places used mainly in bathrooms, the portable fire pan that burned charcoal was common in other rooms. 2. Mosaic floor depicting from the 2nd century AD.

                                       

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE