Hinton St Mary villa

A Roman villa once stood near Hinton St Mary in Dorset. Its remains were discovered in 1963, revealing mosaics that drew national attention. The site has only been partly excavated, leaving its full layout unclear. Some archaeologists have suggested the ruins might belong to a church rather than a villa. Coins found at the site date its use from about 270 to 400. The villa’s mosaics decorated two rooms. In the smaller room, a central panel shows Bellerophon riding Pegasus, with hunting scenes in the side panels. The larger room’s mosaic has multiple panels, including hunting scenes along the sides and figures in each corner. At its centre sits a bust with a Christogram behind it, possibly the earliest known image of Christ in Roman Britain. The mosaic dates to the 4th century and may have been made in a workshop at Durnovaria, known as the Durnovarian Group. Today, the mosaics are preserved in the British Museum in London. The smaller room’s Bellerophon panel and the larger room’s Christogram panel remain key examples of late Roman art. The villa’s partial excavation leaves many questions unanswered about its original purpose and design.