Roman mosaic discovered on Hvar island, Croatia

A large geometric mosaic floor from a 2nd-century AD Roman villa was uncovered on Hvar island, Croatia, on February 15, 2022, during water and sewage works. Subsequent excavations by the Muzej Staroga Grada revealed additional rooms with multicolored geometric and floral mosaics of superior craftsmanship, dated to the 2nd century AD by analogy with known workshop styles. The site is threatened by moisture infiltration and rising sea levels, alarming archaeologists. The local community prefers to keep the mosaic in situ under plexiglass, while the museum proposes detaching it for protection and replacing it with a replica, pending approval from heritage authorities in Split. Excavations are led by Marina Ugarković of the Institute of Archaeology, with support from Sara Popović of ArheoProjekt and a team of young archaeologists. The island of Hvar, once part of Greek culture, fell under Roman rule in 219 BC after the decline of Syracuse.