Intricate Roman mosaic discovered in western Switzerland
A detailed Roman mosaic depicting two birds perched on a vessel has been uncovered during routine water pipe maintenance in the municipality of Avenches, canton Vaud.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-ATS/cl
The mosaic’s design consists of a square extending 1.55 metres (five feet) on each side, with rich decorations and a thick border of small yellow stones. In the centre, a medallion highlights a container upon which two birds are perched.
The sanitation work, which involved digging a trench over 500 metres long, also uncovered remains of houses and graves.
In a statement on Wednesday, the canton of Vaud said that the mosaic was part of the remains of a building on the outskirts of the Roman archaeological site in AvenchesExternal link – an area that has so far been little explored but is believed to contain ruins of especially high-quality buildings.
After being cleaned, the mosaic will be transferred to the collections of the Roman Museum of Avenches.
More
More
Switzerland’s hidden treasure trove of Roman mosaics
This content was published on
The small town of Orbe is home to the largest and most beautiful collection of Roman mosaics north of the Alps. Where are the visitors?
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
This content was published on
The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
This content was published on
Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
This content was published on
With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
Swiss foreign minister backs Berset at Council of Europe
This content was published on
Cassis described Berset as the "ideal candidate" to help the Council realise its aim of ensuring security and peace in Europe.
Gay conversion therapy banned in Swiss canton of Valais
This content was published on
On Thursday, the canton approved a new Health Act which includes a ban on therapies aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity.
This content was published on
Some aspects of pro-Palestine sit-ins have gone too far, but the right to protest and debate must be upheld, the student association has said.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How ancient Rome influenced European law
This content was published on
swissinfo.ch: Why do you believe Rome’s main legacy is in the field of law? Pascal Pichonnaz: First, because Roman law has had an enormous influence on the development of law in the West. We still refer to it all the time. It’s no coincidence that Roman law remains a compulsory subject in our law faculties.…
This content was published on
Among their discoveries between 1938 and 1943 was a gold bust of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, found in a waste water pipe. But they also helped clear out the city’s old amphitheatre and other sites that can still be seen today (Pictures: Avenches Roman museum)
This content was published on
Chevenez in canton Jura: it’s here that a well-known watchmaker is building a new factory on a tight schedule. It’s also here that the initial spadework revealed what could be a major archeological site. The local authorities had to scramble to save what they could find in a few short weeks, after the firm building…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.