Culture and Society at Lullingstone Roman Villa

Caroline K. Mackenzie uses the archaeology of Lullingstone Roman Villa to reconstruct the culture and society of one of Roman Britain’s best-known elite residences. Architecture, decoration, objects and evidence for religious practice are brought together to show how the villa’s inhabitants expressed status and identity.

The fourth-century mosaics of Bellerophon on Pegasus and Europa riding a bull were more than decorative choices. Mackenzie considers where visitors would have encountered them, how the scenes alluded to classical literature, and what the villa’s position above the Darent Valley communicated about its owners. Rooms, views and images become parts of a carefully staged display of education and social standing.