I mosaici policromi a grandi tessere delle Grandi Terme di Aquileia (fine del IV-inizi del V secolo d.C.)

This paper describes, analyses, and discusses some mosaic pavements with large tesserae belonging to the second phase of the Great Baths of Aquileia (datable between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century A.D.). These mosaics, identical in technique, composition, and decorative motifs (grid-pattern of triple filets with compound rosette of eight non-contiguous elements), were used to cover the floors of two or more rooms along the northern perimeter wall of the thermae and, on the basis of findings of the last century, also on the southern side, in a symmetrical position. It is therefore an impressive renovation, which probably affected a large part of the building. The large-tesserae mosaics of the Great Baths, although linked to examples known in Rome, are without comparison in Aquileia; probably they were chosen because they made it possible to quickly cover large surfaces perhaps intended for intense foot traffic, such as, for example, porticoed spaces.