House with Pebble Mosaic

The House with a Pebble Mosaic is a private dwelling structure. Although the home and its adjoining walls were built over in later periods, enough remains to distinguish individual rooms, including one containing the remains of a damaged pebble mosaic floor. The mosaic depicts two nude female figures with simple body definition due to the minimal detail afforded by rounded pebbles and the missing sections. The women flank a bird perched atop a water-filled pedestal basin and face left, each in a different pose: one raises her arms toward the head while the rightward one stands more relaxed, caped and leaning against a tall basin. The mosaic is polychrome, composed of variably sized rounded pebbles sourced from the seashore, with a white border and colors including yellow, shades of blue, and accents of green and red for the center. The room has been identified by multiple sources as an andron, literally a room for men, typically designated for the symposium or a drinking party. As such, this mosaic floor would have functioned as a visual focal point, signaling the owner's status and wealth and prompting conversation.