NIKOPOLIS - House of Manius Antoninus - 2000

House of Manius Antoninus. K. Zachos and Th. Kyrkou (ΙΒ' ΕΠΚΑ) report on the third season of excavation in this Roman house, focusing on the southern area (Fig. 1).

Fifteen new rooms and areas were revealed, plus one floor mosaic, parts of four drainage channels and the cistern in the second courtyard. West of the tetrastyle court, excavation of the likely triclinium (room III) was completed (cf. ADelt 53 [1998] Chr, 508−11). This room, entered from the court via a doorway with a well-worked threshold block, originally communicated with the room to the north, but this was blocked. The floor mosaic has a design of 11 orthogonal areas with geometric motifs and a central emblema with a different subject, probably a figure but largely destroyed (Fig. 2). A third-century AD date is proposed. Ancient damage was repaired with tiles on the east and west sides. Traces of wall-paintings with plant designs are noted on the north and west walls. Much plain domestic pottery was recovered from the room, as well as fourth-century coins.

Room III communicates with two rooms, V and VI, to the north and west, with plaster floors; room VI has wall-paintings, and it is possible that both were andrones. North of the tetrastyle court, room IV, with a plaster floor and probably also marble cladding on the walls, was extended to the northeast. It is probably later than IV and V, and has original communicating doors blocked up. A small room with a hypocaust was found east of room IV (Fig. 3); there were remains of burning over the floor, as well as three series of support columns and tegulae mammatae from the walls. East of this room was a well, perhaps linked to the operation of the hypocaust.

In the southwest were sections of four sewers. It is clear that the building extends to the north beyond the excavation area.
Mosaics in rooms K and B6 were conserved (Fig. 4).