Ravenna, facciata del Palazzo di Teodorico.

Ravenna, facciata del cosiddetto Palazzo di Teoodorico, da via di Roma.

Archeological sites

Theodoric’s Palace (so-called)

An misterious building, probable seat of the imperial palace since the time of Honorius

Ravenna, interno del cosiddetto Palazzo di Teodorico, con i mosaici pavimentali in esposizione.

Between 1908 and 1914, several layers of mosaic floor were found in the area of the so-called Palace of Theodoric, near the basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, whose interpretation, and commission, are still today uncertain.

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History

Its appearance is traditionally linked to the splendid mosaic of the Palatium, inside the nearby basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. The façade we admire from the street actually dates back to the 8th century AD. According to some scholars, it would be the atrium-portico of the façade of the church of San Salvatore ad Calchi; according to others, it may be the remains of a guardhouse of the palace at the time of the exarchs. The various layers of floor mosaics found in the area between 1908 and 1914 reveal that it was a residential area as early as the 1st century BC. Originally a villa, it was enlarged from the 4th century A.D. onwards thanks to an immense portico that connected several buildings. At the time of Honorius, in the 5th century AD, the complex became even more magnificent, with the addition of a large, representative, apsidal room. It was probably the imperial palace. In the years of Theodoric (493-526) it was further enriched by a room with a triclinium and other splendid mosaic floors, and elements were added up to the 8th century. Inside the loggia, and on the first floor, are the remains of fascinating floor mosaics found in the area in the early 1900s, which bear witness to the different phases of construction.

Must-see mosaic in this place

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Fragments with a boar hunting scene

The fragments of the (alleged) boar hunt were found in the portico and date back to the 5th century. Unfortunately, it is shattered. Images in warm-coloured tesserae, bordered in black, depict some agitated hunting scenes. The action must have been spectacular and dynamic: horses and darting dogs, men with chlamys (i.e. wearing a cloak) engaged in capturing fleeing wild boars. Of great expressive power is the fragment of the hunter on horseback: lance in hand, he is about to strike a blow with a powerful twist, allowing him to tense the reins of his galloping horse.

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Ravenna, cosiddetto Palazzo di Teodorico, frammento di presunta caccia al cinghiale con cavaliere.

Female and male figures with small dog

A man and a woman emerge, as if they are looking out of a window, from a decoration of octagons with black edges and white interior, concatenated. Both are poorly characterized and of mysterious identity: we can recognize the woman by the presence of dangling earrings. Outside the decorated border, divided by a black and white banded frame, appears a zoomorphic figure. It looks like a small dog, in a play position, crouched on its front legs and with its hind legs straight.
Another fragment, also two-tone, with a male head and two other small fragments with geometric decorations are part of the same complex.

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Mosaico in bianco e nero con testa di uomo, donna e un cagnolino.

Coloured fragment of a possible venatio scene

In the counter façade, on the ground floor, we find displayed some mosaic fragments found during excavation campaigns in the early 1900s.
A particularly interesting and colorful one comes from one of the oldest areas of the building. Three fragments make up a portion of a circle, framed by a two-headed braid, from the light blue and orange tesserae, and another arched braid in the resulting space of the two frames. It depicts a venatio scene. Venationes were entertainment games that took place inside the amphitheaters, or circuses, from the second century B.C. onward. They were bloody battles between men or between men and animals. The Tessella inscription may originally have been tessellavit and perhaps also bore, in full, the name of the mosaicist who executed it.

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Frammento policromo con scritta tessella

Geometric decoration with squares

Against a background of orange tesserae, develops a decoration with white squares of different sizes. In the smallest squares there anre other squares with black borders and a terracotta-coloured interior; in the medium-sized ones we find diamond decorations, defined by dark tesserae on the outside, light blue, bright orange and lighter orange, white and a small black tessera in the centre. In the larger squares, all rotated 45 degrees from the others, we can admire diamond decorations or Gordian (or Solomon’s) knots. They are on a light blue background and executed in light blue and orange, complementary colours.

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decorazione musiva pavimentale con quadrati decorati.

Info & Tickets

Via Alberoni, angolo, Via di Roma, 48121 Ravenna RA

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Entrance fee

Admission: € 2
The entrance fee can be purchased online or at the ticket offices of all museums managed by the RavennAntica Foundation.

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Booking

Not necessary

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Free of charge

Admission to the Italian State museums, monuments, galleries and archaeological areas is free for EU citizens aged less than 18 years old. In addition, admission to Italian state archives and libraries is free for all citizens (regardless of age).
Discover the further concessions for entry: https://cultura.gov.it/agevolazioni

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Mosaico pavimentale con pavone e motivi decorativi.

Mosaic places

Explore the other Achaeological Sites of Ravenna

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