In 1933 the Italian archaeologist Luciano Lavrenzi, who had also discovered the ‘Odeon’, found a house built in similar style to that of the Pompeian houses. It was built after the 3rd century AD on the ruins of an old house of Hellenistic period.
The Italians restored the house and called it ‘Casa Romana’. The house had three courtyards indoors and around these courtyards airy and sunny rooms had been built. Every courtyard had a cistern (like a swimming pool). In the first courtyard there were two rooms with mosaics, the first representing a lion attacking a wild goat and a leopard attacking a deer. In the second room the mosaic represents the marine life and it is characterized by its perfection and refinements. In the second courtyard there is a room, which was used as a living room the walls of which were covered with marble. A mosaic has been found around the cistern, which represents dolphins and Nereid, a sea nymph, on top of a unicorn. In the third courtyard there are columns, which are of Ionian style in three parts. There is a small terrace with smaller columns of Ionian style too. This architecture is called ‘Technique of the arch of Rhodes’ because the houses of this style of architecture were first found in Rhodes. Rooms with mosaics and marble on the floor have been found around the arch, which represented a tiger, a leopard and mythological people. A wooden stairway leads to the terrace where there aren’t any rooms. Ruins of the thermal baths were found outside the house towards the east by the same archaeologist after the big earthquake of 1933.
THE ALTAR OF DIONISOS The altar of Dionysus is opposite the Casa Romana on the other side of the road. It dates back to the 3rd century BC. Next to the altar a small sanctuary of the same period has been found.
THE HOT SPRINGS OF THE HARBOUR The hot springs of the harbour or the hot springs have the 3rd or 4th century BC and some parts of the ancient walls have been found at the crossroads of Koloktroni Street and 31st March. A lot of mosaics and inscriptions have been discovered there. The most important of these inscriptions is the one, which reports the rules of the cult of Hercules. Nowadays this sign is in the castle of Kos. |