La sala delle rose nel Mitreo dei marmi colorati a Ostia antica

The archaeological investigations carried out by the Ostia Marina Project led to discovery of a new building in the maritime district of the town, the so-called Caupona del dio Pan, built in the middle of the 3. century AD. After about a century of activity, it was partially rebuilt and decorated in order to host a mithraism community. In particular, the walls were redecorated with frescoes. Here it is examined the pictorial decoration of room no. 7, where - on each wall - a scattered flowers decorative system is documented. This pattern is well known within funerary contexts of the whole Roman world during Late Antiquity; although widespread in mosaic floors, it is rarely used in the pictorial decorations of entire rooms, remaining predominantly confined to small spaces. The example of the Mithraeum of colored marbles is therefore particularly significant, as it offers new ideas on the evolution of the pictorial production of Ostia and, more generally, on wall decoration systems of the Late Antiquity