Students from the Escuela Profesional Barraeca II del Ayuntamiento have uncovered a large and elaborate Roman mural while carrying out excavation work at the Huerta de Otero archaeological site in the city of Mérida in the Extremadura Region of western Spain, according to a press release issued by the Mérida Ayuntamento on 26 July 2023.
The multi-coloured mosaic covers an area of about 30 m², and has a central motif depicting the head of Medusa within an octagonal medallion, surrounded by four Peacocks, within a wider square with a variety of images of Fish, Birds, Jellyfish, masks, and geometric shapes. The mosaic is thought to have been associated with a sixth century AD bathhouse.
The Huerto de Otero site was discovered in 1976, when some preliminary exploration work was carried out, but full scale excavations did not begin until 2019, when a joint project by the Mérida Ayuntamento and the Consorcio y el Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida was set up to manage the site. Fifteen students from the Escuela Profesional Barraeca II del Ayuntamiento began working on the project in September 2022, as part of a work-placements scheme which is credited with gaining 85% of the school's students a job in their chosen field.
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