Rare pebbled mosaic featuring naked satyrs discovered by archaeologists

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Reported by Heritage Daily:

Archaeologists excavating in ancient Eretria have discovered a pebbled mosaic floor featuring two naked satyrs.

Eretria was founded on the Greek island of Euboea, emerging as an important polis and trading centre from the 6th and 5th century BC.

The city was described as being involved in several significant historical events. It was listed by Homer in the Iliad as one of the Greek cities which sent ships to fight in the Trojan War.

During the Ionian rebellion against Persia in 499 BC, Eretria and Athens sent aid to their Ionian allies, resulting in the burning of Sardis, the capital of the Persian satrapy of Lydia.

Recent excavations by the Greek Ministry of Culture have unearthed a building near the sanctuary of Daphniforos Apollo, the “Quarter of the Panathenaic Amphorae” and the “House of the Mosaics”.

Within the building interior, archaeologists found a mosaic floor made from natural pebbles, with surviving walls on the south and east sides. The mosaic features a circular black medallion and two naked satyrs, a nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse.

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