Rubbish Roman Mosaics

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Morning Darren. Those rather charming, simplistic and naive mosaics are a testament to the age old saying “yer get what yer pay for”! Did the Roman Villa owner proclaim to his wife, “look luv, I can whip up a mosaic for you, and it will save a wedge”! Thank you for yet another interesting and entertaining episode. 👏👏👍😀

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Andrew. Interestingly, they found a small workshop in that villa that seemed to be dedicated to mosaic maintenance, so maybe it was the owners having a go. Could they have ever imagined we’d be discussing their Venus, 1600 years later?!

[@AllotmentFox]

Genius. I came prepared to be outraged. That Taurus would make a great t-shirt.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks! I was looking forward to your response and wondered which way you’d go. What a good idea about that t-shirt. With my face incorporated too, obvs. I’m going to give your shop a plug on Facebook this week. Really impressed with what you’ve done there.

[@philcollinson328]

I want that Rudston Venus as a tattoo Tom 🤣

[@AllotmentFox]

@ i think it would look nice

[@tweedyoutdoors]

What a stylish tweed ensemble you were sporting during those scenes in Hull, particularly with the rakish angle your hat was at in the first shot! Could a childish mosaic be described as, ahem, *infantile*? Quite a different atmosphere to this video I thought, different from the usual presentation style but hard to put my finger on what it was exactly. Perhaps it was partly just the multiple locations (although it's certainly not the first time you've done that!). There must have been a lot of driving involved to make this happen! Anyway, I continue to be impressed by your range - here you came across as a TV art historian, from the era when TV used to actually be good! Very interesting video, quite different from the norm as I say but either way another impressive addition to your canon of furthering the understanding of Roman Britain!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Tweedy - it’s good knowing that I have one viewer who notices and appreciates the tweed aspect! Very pleased with that new coat and I thought it worked well with my dark blue Poet fedora. “Infantile” is pure genius and I can’t promise not to borrow that if I ever do another mosaic-based video! You may remember that I have a sneaking admiration for Philip Mould from BBC TV’s Fake or Fortune (a rare example of a mainstream TV programme that I still watch). Well, to be compared to a TV art historian has made my day. I just need to perfect that walk. I think the style of this one is quite different and don’t really know why. Maybe because I did a bit more in the “studio” than normal, or maybe, it’s as simple as the fact that I was a bit worse for wear by the end of that recording/drinking session?!

[@philcollinson328]

I'm also very impressed by a chap also clad in smart Tweed who can rustle up a fine fondue whilst sitting in a ditch.(Very much worth a watch guys) Extraordinary gentlemen dwelleth herein.

[@1972tommyc]

Someday (soon, I hope) some modern antiquarian will excavate a mosaic depicting a Romano-Brit fully attired in tweeds exactly resembling you-know-who. Rubbish, you say…NOT!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@1972tommyc I do need to dust off the old Time Bangle - I’ll go back in time and make this happen!

[@1972tommyc]

@ include some artistic plow damage for authenticity sake.

[@mattalexander3208]

Thoroughly enjoyable! Thanks Mr WC21

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Matt! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@janecapon2337]

I love those mosaics!! Don’t be so mean! I think they show such enthusiasm.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes indeed. They are remarkable. Trying to recreate a form of art so very far from the centre of things. I thought the chariot race mosaic was actually quite good from a technical point of view. Great museum too.

[@AndyJarman]

I can confirm this constitutes a thoroughly entertaining and informative video.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Andy! Glad you enjoyed it and were informed about lumpy Venuses.

[@CosmicImperitive]

W-vid again, I really enjoy them and always want them longer. Got the thumbnail wrong sorry (I was the one talking about noses😂)...loved the mosaics.. you should be sponsored by hull council tourism board. I want to visit one day, again didn't know it existed...looks like the northern venus has got a "Thicc Gyat" (research lol). After doing many mosaics myself the tile peices are just as important as the placement, it looked like many tiles were painted after placing maybe ? Might be the reason they look shabby in comparison. Was it a dodgy gang of cowboy tilers knocked on, like they do "yeahhh we can do that for only 2 gold and three slaves" the guy they booked from Rome cant make it till next summer..looks like they had no tile pincers to round off either..look forward to next weeks vid

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you. Sounds like you could be a consultant next time I do a mosaic-based video? Really interesting to get that technical insight. I often think I should be getting paid by Visit Britain! I hope you get the chance to visit this museum - it is absolutely fantastic.

[@CosmicImperitive]

@WC21UKProductionsLtd appreciate the compliment but I'm no jedi.. SORrry tiling expert...but love to throw a different light on various aspects of history...like ANY of us really know the REAL truth. We only have words and pictures from the past on parchment or page, we closet columbos do most of the work through sheer joy of interest.

[@richardkelly9156]

Thanks 😊 i liked the Hull sections, used to go a lot. Not had the privilege for a time now

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you - I was very impressed by the museum, especially the Roman section. Glad you enjoyed revisiting on screen.

[@richardkelly9156]

@WC21UKProductionsLtd 🙏

[@gibjamie]

I was generally considered a relatively talented artist at School and would often end up correcting or completely redrawing images for whoever i happened to be sitting next to in class as they tended to hate theirs when compared to mine, and "Venus with a Nose like a Bum" reminds me of one of those precorrected pieces from my past. And regardless as to how impressive the Classically recognised and recognisable Southern/Midlands Grand Villa Mosaics are i think that the Northern Mosaics highlighted in this video actually tell us more about Romano British society and its individual interpretation of Romanitas than any fancy Mosaic created by highly skilled Tilers from the Continent or Londinium. The have a go and hope for the best nature of the images produced also raises the question (for me at least) as to whether Roman Britain ever experienced a wave of D.I.Y fever inspired by a Romano British Barry Bucknell. Great Video as per usual, well done Darren keep up the Good work!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Jamie and your expertise noted for future reference. Perhaps get you on as an expert next time I do an art based video? I think you make a fantastic point there. That they’re trying to recreate North African designs on the very fringes of the empire is such an insight into Romano British aspirations. That makes this Venus mosaic remarkable. Did the craftsman propose it, or was it specifically requested by the villa owners?

[@gibjamie]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd i imagine it was on the Villa Owners request but that truly is the Beauty of investigating and interpreting the Past, it almost always raises more questions than answers provided! And obviously i'd be happy to help or advise for any Art based Future content if needed! All the best!

[@ziggurat-builder8755]

Very cool, I live north of Hull and know the Panther mosaic well. It’s very funny!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers. I thought that was one of the moor accomplished ones!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

It's easy enough installing a concentric mosaic without rounded details, but you try making a realistic panther design using only a crudely drawn image of one on a scrap of paper. No wonder some of the animals incorporated in mosaics look like a child's impression of the beast.

[@raedwulf61]

Excellent video! Informative and entertaining. I look forward to these every Sunday.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers - that’s lovely to hear! Thank you.

[@christinesimpkin570]

Really enjoyed this video Mr WC21. Marvellous. Thank you 😊

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s great Christine - thank you!

[@MattMesserPics]

Marvellous! And, of course, Chedworth being but a short bicycle ride from my old home, wonderfully nostalgic! What I always enjoy is the crystal-clearness of your diction, which is in stark contrast to that of some youtubers (that shall remain unnamed) infinitely more successful than the two of us. Please never change it!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Mathias - I remembered that you lived around that area. Thank you very much for your feedback on my diction. That's good to hear!

[@JJ-of1ir]

Enjoyed your mosaic watch. Enjoyed the 'quirky' ones too. I am glad they survived.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you! Yes it’s great that we can look at them today - something the craftsman can never have imagined when he laid down his interpretation of Venus!

[@fredygump5578]

Imagine future archaeologists discovering paintings by impressionists!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes! There will be a puzzled KZbin antiquarian in centuries to come.

[@futurepig]

That's better than the best mosaic I have ever made. My respect to the artist for trying his best with the equipment he had and despite not being able to Google what Venus looked like

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes and it’s a complex design too. What it lacks in technical mastery, it makes up for in enthusiasm.

[@skipper409]

As a teenager, I was a digger on Beadlam Villa in 1976 - we discovered a baby the occupants had buried in one of the walls

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Oh wow - that's so interesting. I wonder what that was about. I'd hoped to film a small bit there, but it's all controlled access via tours.

[@PaulWarne45]

Informative and amusing at the same time,thank you Darren for putting the time and effort in and sharing.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Paul - glad you enjoyed it.

[@PaulWarne45]

@WC21UKProductionsLtd I live in Bath, So much of the roman history here is either covered up,buried or has been rebuilt over the years. There's not actually much left remaining that I wouldn't say is originally roman,although if you have a good eye,you can kind of decipher which time period it may have been built. A fascinating place for a walk. Have you been here yet?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@PaulWarne45 Hi Paul, no I’ve not been there with my camera yet. I definitely will at some point and may base the video on following my old guide book to Roman ruins - to see if it still works. I did that in York and it was good fun.

[@jeningle8288]

I think we can damn with faint praise, and say about the mosaic maker, 'well at least he tried.' Very enjoyable video, thank you.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you and yes, he gave it a good go. I think it is remarkable that they were trying to emulate this type of thing, so far from the centre of the empire!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd It must have felt VERY remote up there in Rudstone, especially in winter, even though the northern frontier was still well over a hundred miles away. I wonder what the Romans (or natives) thought of the gigantic megalith they must've gawped at on the moor (now in a chuchyard) there? Some god left it there, presumably.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@ yes, I’m really interested in finding out more about the Romano British attitude to prehistoric monuments. I was struck by the thought when I filmed the Devil’s Arrows a few weeks ago - with them being just outside Isurium. I wish we knew when the first church was erected next to the Rudston monolith.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd According to Wiki the first church was Norman, but Saxon records refer to the stone. As you probably know it's part of a late Neolithic ritual landscape including 4 of the enigmatic cursus monuments. The early Christians tended to adopt 'pagan' sites and monuments into churchyards or the church itself, and that monster at Rudstone just had to be 'sanctified'.

[@CarolWoosey-ck2rg]

Morning Darren- thanks for the shout out as just had my brekkie and didnt want to retrieve it seeing yet another image of the slime minister- love to go to that joke shop and find the most offensive items! Pc my a..se! In the words of Ricky Gervais "just because you find something offensive, doesnt mean it is" - that mosaic is so bad it's fantastic! Good one mate 👍

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

No worries Carol - I was aware you sometimes watch these whilst eating! The old “new” stock in that shop was like walking back to the 70s. Quite remarkable! The Venus mosaic is undoubtedly not very good, but that makes it so fantastic. He was out of his depth, but gave it a good go!

[@CarolWoosey-ck2rg]

Ah the 70's- where you say what you like and we'd just laugh! Just fending off an 11 week old pup- like a land shark, my hands are ribboned! 🐶🦈

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

My Aussie uncle had a 'joke' merch section in his corner shop near Perth. The items included a w*nking machine, powder to make a Sheila strip off, s**t that looked like chocolate bars and sheep-sh*gger's boots with handy L/R indicators for inserting the back legs. Those Aussies are so sophisticated.

[@CarolWoosey-ck2rg]

Your Uncle sounds like my kind of bloke- dont give a sh.t and a sense of humour- good for him 😄

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@CarolWoosey-ck2rg He was Carol. I Went over there for a few months decades back and he had me hunting the dunny spiders in the house and we even went to the beach for the Aussie staple a few tinnies and a barbie. He opened the shop when he felt like it as he liked lie-ins. That 'stripping powder' didn't work, BTW.

[@esoomynona5813]

I prefer the Venus representation in the Hull mosaic, she is unrestrained, with a passion and wildness about her. Unlike her rather posed and chiseled counter-part in Oxfordshire. I wonder if such difference, apart from skill and experience of the maker/s, could be a regional reflection. Was the depth of Roman influence more tenuous or superficial in those Northern lands? Are we seeing, in that wild animated Venus, glimpses of how local people regarded their native deities? In making that mosaic were 'Celtic' ideas and traditions projected onto the Roman goddess?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s a great description of the difference: “wild”. The southern ones are so strait laced. Interesting that there could still be some lingering Celtic in the realisation too. Yes, she is actually much more Romano British than those copycat ones down south.

[@esoomynona5813]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I feel it to be the case. Isn't it interesting too how 'sniffy' some opinions are concerning those mosaics. It's as if those late Victorian attitudes on 'classicism' are alive and well. Where anything short of the heights of Greek or Roman perfection are consigned to the skip of denigration.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

That's a good point. The number of Roman occupiers was relatively small, so most of the villa owners and even mosaicists were Romanised locals, with a cultural tradition different from incomers to the Empire. Rome allowed the locals to keep their own gods (see the Temple to Celtic sea-god Nodens at Lydney, for instance) while even adopting foreign gods such as Mithras into their own belief system. You only need to see the Gorgon sculpture at Bath to see an earlier Celtic influence on Romano-British art and design.

[@davie941]

well done again Darren, thank you 😊

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Davie! I thought these maligned mosaics were nothing if not enthusiastic!

[@WildwoodTV]

A very enjoyable video, a favourite subject of mine. The Hull Venus reminds me of paintings in Honfleur, those "child-bearing hips". A soldier from Rome's account mentions that Celtic women were bigger & fiercer than Roman men. They recently found a fishy mosaic in Wroxeter too, I keep meaning to do a vid on the Villa at my Dad's, & mosaic if I can find those old pics...

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you! Villa at your Dad’s?! Tell me about this!

[@WildwoodTV]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd sadly the land since sold 😢Antiquarians knew about it 1880s (then Granny invited Lily Chitty & Mary Webb for tea), but not excavated 'til 1995 - I think there's 3 Villas in the local area but not got a map

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

There's just a couple of written sources from the period suggesting elaborate mosaics were made by commissioning elite mosaicists from Londinium , or even further afield as a Gallic master is mentioned on one record. Also, some of the most attractive tesserae were imported ready-cut from Italy for one mosaic -- bet that cost a packet. Mostly, however, local craftsmen made tesserae from whatever suitable local stone was available. Bit like hiring a builder for a job today -- if you pay top dollar you'll get a good job, but in a remote up-north villa you could get a jobbing mosaicist who gives it a go. I wonder how many times the villa-owner had a look and thought: "nah, that's rubbish. Can you do that bit again?" And like the travellers who come and pave your driveways cheap, I bet some of the 'cowboy mosaicist' efforts sagged after a while so they hade to pay a decent mosaicist to re-do it.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

I also wonder if the owners of the Rudston Venus ended up putting a rug over it?! Whilst it’s difficult to argue with the critics about the artistry in some of these, I was taken by the sheer enthusiasm of them. As you say, they gave it a good go!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I quite like the 'primitivist' mosaics, but I imagine the owners might've regretted choosing some features of their design (oh no, Neptune and dolphins is SO last Emperor!) or, worse, had a guest or two giggle at it for being so naff. It was a status symbol to show off after all. Wonder if carpets were woven with mosaic-like images as a cheap alternative to mosaics? I was lucky enough to help excavate two mosaics (both damaged with parts removed) but they were both basic and lacked human figures, animals or symbols -- just functional ones for public buildings. Another fun video, thanks.

[@philcollinson328]

I quite liked the chariot race mosaic..You were very kind given the state of the other one however!. And yes, many will have caught your nod in the narration to 'Panic' 🤣. A highly enjoyable vid and a feast for the eyes. Great stuff!.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Phil! Yes, from an artistry point of view the Rudston Venus is indefensible, but I liked the sheer, “giving it a good go” aspect of it. I bet the owners ended up throwing a rug over it, though. That Panic thing just happened by itself!

[@chrisball3778]

The North African elements in the 'bad' mosaic are interesting. Possibly linked to all the North African soldiers known to have been stationed at Eboracum and along the wall? I can't help imagining some retired military officer offering his old comrade a job decorating his house after the guy swears he knows how to do mosaics because he spent a summer on a building site before he joined up. Then regretting it, but being forced to keep the cursed mosaic because the guy keeps on inviting himself round for dinner.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes the North African design aspects were really interesting and apparently unique in Britain. I guess more could turn up, but it does make you wonder why that mosaicist had a copy book from there? Interesting idea that it may have come from the soldiers in York. Anyhow, I bet the villa owners invested in a rug!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

As you probably know, although primarily soldiers the legionaries and auxiliaries included craftsmen of various kinds among their ranks as metalworking, woodworking and road building were necessary duties when not fighting. Some retired legionaries from North Africa are known to have stayed locally after their term of service (from grave marker inscriptions, etc.) and might've saved enough to farm and build a villa, particularly if they were centurions or officers. They'd know a lot of skilled people from their service, possibly including mosaicists, which makes your north African influences a possibility. Interesting.

[@barryconway]

Excellent. The content that other channels don’t deliver. So ‘Ull begins with an H? Who knew? Not I. Subtle nod to ‘Ull again with the two jags reference. Not wasted on me, that. Good job. Tell me, were those carefree days of summer lazy, perhaps crazy, even hazy? Btw: ask Wessex Ways to work on defining that North South divide, eh? Carry on.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@barryconway thank you Barry! Poor old Two Jags, but I’m sure me presenting a video from Hull is what he would have wanted. For the chaps at Wessex Ways I’m pretty sure there’s an actual physical barrier, somewhere just the other side of Oxford. Pretty sure I’ve never seen them anywhere north of that?

[@barryconway]

I think the Wessex Ways guys might spontaneously combust were they to reach Northamptonshire.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@ I agree. But now you’ve planted that seed, it’s something I might have to test.

[@barryconway]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd lol

[@liberty_and_justice67]

I would guess that the customer was ripped off. “Yeah, my brother in law can knock this out. Always good at graffiti “😂

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you. If only we knew how the owners reacted when they saw it!

[@chrish5319]

Fascinating. Despite the "childish" depictions I believe we should bear in mind the significant resources required to produce these mosaics, indicating a massive display of disposable wealth. Hull is now on my must visit list despite the Dalesman's Litany. Thank you again.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes, that they could resource it there, at the very edge of empire, is astonishing in its own right. Do check the museum out if you get chance - it’s fantastic! Cheers.

[@andrewlamb8055]

Like anything in Hull … it’s never great!! 🤣🤣🤣 This Newby loves your content and humour… keep going please! Greetings from the Yorkshire/Western Australian man (Otley born and bread) 👏👏👏👏🤣🤣🤣⚔️⚔️⚔️⭐️⭐️

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thanks Andrew and glad you’re enjoying it! Poor Hull, like so many of these places, it’s really being knocked about. The perpetual “improvements” that never improve! It was quite nice in the old streets round the Museum Quarter, but the rest was just chaos.

[@andrewlamb8055]

@ … wait until you visit Grimsby or Scunthorpe! .. Hopefully you won’t have to!! Cracking episode, looking forward to more mate 🙏👏⚔️😎⭐️

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@andrewlamb8055 I don’t think either of those have anything for this channel. Maybe a good thing?!

[@andrewlamb8055]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd never been … but have been warned all my life to stay away 🤣🤣🤣⚔️😎🍻 And I have!!🤣

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

I think he was a bricky by trade. They thought if he could put up big walls, then he could put little bits of coloured bricks on a floor. How hard could it be? I thought she was 'with child' too. Are you sure it is a torch and not a Romano-Britain flagellation device. She was the Goddess of love, after all. Perhaps this was a portrait of his wife, the most beautiful woman in the North East at the time, which he used as his muse, who knows how beautiful women were in the North East way back then. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 🙄 (I'm trying). I really look forward to your videos each week. But near your outro, you stated 'see you next time', is there a break coming? I'm glad you escaped from the glares of the custodian of the mosiacs. If he recognised you then you may have ended up like Paul Sheldon when his number one fan Annie Wilkes got her hands on him. You had a close escape, that's for sure. Another brilliant episode and the highlight of my Sunday Darren. Thanks for sharing examples, beautiful and otherwise of our Romao-British ancestry. As for the 1970s joke shops. I loved the glass vile stink bombs, a particular favourite of mine.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Hi Chris - thank you and that’s a really good point - did this guy do other things besides?! Whatever they say about the end result, he gave it a jolly good go and I’m sure the villa owners could afford a nice round rug! That joke shop was such a nice accidental discovery. Graham’s the last in the family line willing to run it, so it’s likely to go when he retires. Some of the old stock he showed me was the epitome of what was acceptable then… Cheers as ever for your support. Means a lot.

[@johnstewartrichards5922]

Did the Romans leave so they could talk about something other than the weather? It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents-except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind that swept up the streets (for it is in Hull that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. Off we go to meet Edward Bulwer-Lytton who has promised to take us to see the best & trashiest Roman Mosaics!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s very good, John! I could have read more like that. Cheers!

[@Carpe-Diem]

Firstly we love watching your channel. We moved to Portugal where I think there is so much undiscovered Roman archaeology. Ever though of expanding your gazette to further shores?? 😂😂

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you and for the invitation too! I would very much like to do that one day! There’s some good stuff there, I believe?

[@Carpe-Diem]

We live near Estrada Romana do Alqueidão da Serra. Conimbriga was a real eye opener too!

[@Carpe-Diem]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtdhappy to host too 👍

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@Carpe-Diem that’s very kind of you!

[@adampascoe1084]

Another fantastic video Darren thank you. The North African influence in the Rudston Villa mosaic made me wonder whether the owner of this villa was one of the Aurelian Moors, the contingent of North African troops stationed on Hadrian’s wall. A number of these troops were senior commanders and it is not inconceivable that some of these may have retired in the north or England, purchased land and built themselves homes. It may explain the poorer quality in the mosaics, and the location as the land would have been cheaper / less desirable than the fashionable Cotswolds.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Adam and that’s a very interesting thought. Quite nice if that were the case. Trying to create a piece of home, so far away from it.

[@standingbadger]

You made my wet and windy sunday with a quote from Panic. I suspect the much-maligned mosaic was a DIY job by the can-do owners of the villa, armed with a kit from the local B et Q. Thank you for a great video.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers. The Panic thing just accidentally happened when I had to reel off that list of places - shows how embedded these influences are! Interesting point about it being a DIY attempt. I think it was this villa where they found a small workshop that seemed to be solely for mosaic maintenance…maybe you’re right about that. Cheers. Yes, weather is terrible here too!

[@standingbadger]

Workshop for mosaic maintenance - that is interesting! I wonder if evidence of this type of workshop was found with villas containing the better-constructed mosaics, or was it a case of just having to call in the best from wherever for any fixes or alterations?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@ It’s not something I’ve encountered before - really intriguing. The villa was still in use during the 5th Century, so the other possibility is that they had to take the maintenance into their own hands when everything fell to bits. The room had some piles of tessera, suggesting possibly, that this activity related to that final period?

[@jacquelinetaylor8683]

I can just imagine some canny Yorkshire man saying to his wife ' We don't need to pay for one of those mosaic chappies from the south darling. Vluvius the slave made a good job of laying the slabs around the villa. Let's let him have a go. If you don't like it darling we can always dig it up and start again.' When it was finished the wife's response wasn't repeatable in the written form. The mess was never removed and the craftsman from the south never employed. A strategically positioned dining table sufficed to cover it up when guests called. The saying you get what you pay for probably started about the same time.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Brilliant! That’s the thing about human nature, you can imagine exactly this happening 1600 years ago! I wondered if they opted for a big round rug.

[@AdeptHavelock]

Really interesting Darren...another couple of sites to add to the must-visit list. As for the mosaics...are we observing 'artistic licence and interpretation' here? Maybe the ones dahn-saaf were from the Reubens school and the ones up-norf were more Warhol influenced, so to speak?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you @AdeptHavelock and I like that idea. Or possibly their equivalent of David Hockney?! Do check out that museum if you get the chance - it is great. The Roman section is very well presented, but all periods are.

[@AdamMorganIbbotson]

In the comments, reading all these theories on why Venus looks so weird. They’ve obviously never met the dreaded Hullian… Tales tell of webbed hands, hairy knuckles on lumped stubby arms, and back hair so thick, you need a machete to navigate.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

“The Dreaded Hullian” sounds like a video waiting to be made. It would almost certainly “blow up”. Where and when to best capture this Hullian on camera?

[@AdamMorganIbbotson]

@ Hull, outside any pub around 11pm, or a bookies in the early morning.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@AdamMorganIbbotson Checking out the opposition, Adam? Love your work BTW -- top tier stuff.

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi Darren, Here's a thought, are we witnessing the point in history where classical art developed a surreal branch? In the end it's all about taste, I can appreciate classical paintings but prefer the more surreal. If you ever get the chance then it's worth visiting the modern art museum in Madrid, the Reina Sofia, where there is a real mix. Some of which are really taking the proverbial, a large white canvass with a dot in the middle!! I also wonder how these things got done, who designed them and how did they transmit this to the mosaicist? Did the owners or designer want something like this? Who knows!! I am surprised that you didn't detect that the Triton in the mosaic was in fact a Sea Devil, Peter Forbes-Robertson will be shaking his head!! Another enjoyable episode, well done!! All the best!!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Hi David, you’re right - it is a Sea Devil! I knew they were real! Interesting idea that it’s an exercise in surrealism. Another generous way to look at it - which I spent quite a bit of time trying to do! I think the North African influence is very interesting. Did that come from the craftsman, or was that requested by the villa owners? Either way, incredible to see at the very edge of empire. If I ever go to Madrid I will remember your recommendation. I must leave these shores at least one more time in my final furlong!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Modern Fart is beyond satirising now. A banana taped to a wall just sold for $6.2 million! In a world where a man can identify as a woman and there are infinite genders I suppose such things being considered art is to be expected.

[@atrampinthehills.841]

Great fun...while in Hull did you go to visit the small window in the land of green ginger?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Steve - you’ve intrigued me about that - what is it?!

[@atrampinthehills.841]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd It is the smallest window in the country...just follow the crowds to find it

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@ cheers Steve - perhaps I will go back now!

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

I think your Romano-British bricky must be related to Cecilia Giménez who restored The Ecce Homo in Borja Spain. I can see the similarities in the workmanship.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s interesting - will have to look that up!

[@davidberlanny3308]

Excellent spot Chris, Cecilia has turned Borja into a tourist attraction!!

[@peterbradburn9115]

Love those Northern figures. That Venus looks like a local traditional pre-roman fertility Goddess, possibly, has been used as a template

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

She does have something of a wild Celtic look to her, doesn’t she? What she lacks in technical ability, she makes up for in energy, I feel!

[@harley419]

Very cool content

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you @harley419 - I like “cool”! Cheers.

[@_Hold_My_Beer_]

Loved this vid - I wonder about the floor layers workshops where you went to request a floor. They must have had samples and took orders based on the scenes you required that meant something to you. I actually think that 'maybe' the bad ones were recreations of the villa owners own hand drawings - and when they said 'exactly like this' thats what they got? - If it was going in my house and i could choose or decide what images it had - 'maybe' the more freedom the floor layers had - the better it was?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers! Yes I was intrigued by this concept of "copybooks". Maybe these were presented to the villa owners and they flicked through? Interesting to think of them sketching it out on a wooden tablet and saying, "something like this?"!

[@AnyoneForToast]

Whilst none of those fish quite resembled anything I have seen during my many not wasted hours of fishing, one did slightly resemble a sturgeon. Even if it was a sturgeon badly drawn by a child that had been allowed unsupervised access to crayons. The sturgeon would surely have been a highly prized capture at the time. So highly prized that there are none left...

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

I think a number of critics agree there are dolphins in that aquatic scene, but the others are difficult! I’m glad you spotted a sturgeon - I’m going to see if I can find it. Cheers.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Sure the 'fish' weren't meant to be dolphins?! The mosaicists didn't have an I-Phone handy to show what they were meant to be depicting and likely did a crude sketch from memory of the animal, unless they were lucky enough to have a menagerie nearby. A few of the more exotic animals depicted on mosaics look like Ray Harryhausen fantasy creations.

[@AnyoneForToast]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I thought most of them were rather dolphin-esque myself. It was the larger, central figure that I thought looks rather sturgeon like.

[@AnyoneForToast]

@@PaIaeoCIive1684 I thought most of them were meant to depict dolphins. One has a slightly more sharp mouth shape and scaley appearance. I don't know if dolphins were ever used as a food source over here. Thanks for putting me onto Ray Harryhausen, I wasn't aware of him, great works! EDIT. Good point about them having to be be drawn from memory.

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

@@AnyoneForToast Hi there. I just looked up dolphins in Roman cuisine and they did eat them -- along with nearly everything else -- but it wasn't easy trapping them so they tended to source other seafoods. The sturgeon was a hard-to-find delicacy they consumed (too much!) but unlike today they didn't think much of the caviar. Since the Romans tended to smother everything with yucky fermented garum fish sauce I suspect nearly everything on the menu tasted as bad as the sauce.

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

Never got to Chedworth on my visits to the Old Dart but did visit Bignor with local friends once. Also the villa at Fishbourne outside Chichester. All pretty good but those of the Villa Romana del Casale at Piazza Armerina in Sicily take some beating! 😉😊

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers. I wonder what the Villa Romana owners would have made of our Rudston Venus?! I’ll do a video on Fishbourne at some stage. Palatial.

[@iainmc9859]

This one popped up, Yeeay. Personally I'd much rather look at the Rudston mosaic; to be generous, it has character 😊

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Iain. I spent quite a lot of time trying to find positive ways to talk about that Venus mosaic and its charm gradually won me over. He gave it a good go! Working from a North African copybook in the East Riding. Quite remarkable, really.

[@iainmc9859]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I can just imagine the guy rocking up in his cart 'Do you want your driveway done mister? Your guttering looks like it could do with a good cleaning out ... what's that, mosaics, yeah, do them all the time ... got a special on this month, 2 square yards for the price of one, I'll just get my mallet'.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@iainmc9859 😂

[@JimBagby74]

"In Defense of the Lumpy Venus" was the name of the original academic publication was it not? Or was that a song by the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band? I can't remember.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes it was, Jim! The later, and arguably seminal work, was of course, “Even the Circle They’re in, is all Wonky.”

[@robinholland1136]

I have to say, disregarding any argument on the grounds of artistic merit, that the Bignor Venus doesn't look very happy at all, poor thing. Perhaps her love life didn't quite come up to expectations. The Hull Venus, on the other hand, has a rather cheeky look in her eyes.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes - the Hull Venus looks like she’d be a lot of fun on a night out!

[@billykershaw2781]

I reckon they got them off E. Baius

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

😂

[@PhilipMurphy8]

Thanks, always great to look at interesting places. Problem is with places like National Trust or English Heritage is not nice cafes however and modifying history

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Philip. Yes, I'm divided. I belong to both, but there's a lot I don't like about them. It annoys me that they try to stop us filming their sites, whereas it's fine if your name's Dan Snow!

[@johnstewartrichards5922]

Venus looks like she is having a Hemicrania

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

But I think she’s enjoying it?!

[@NemoVir]

Venus’s mirror looks like a skillet.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Oh my goodness, it does! It’s been assumed to be her mirror because she has one in other depictions. The apple too.

[@Lucius1958]

Roman technique meets Celtic design. New 'fusion' decoration develops.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Do you know, I didn’t notice the Celtic influence and it wasn’t mentioned in any of the numerous critiques I read. And yet, now you and others have mentioned it in the comments, it’s very obvious. Cheers.

[@philcollinson328]

Thanks

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Phil!

[@richardkelly9156]

I will keep enjoying this channel until it gets too popular 😅

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Richard. I’m always doing things that stop mass popularity occurring, so I reckon you’ll be around for a while! In fact, if it ever gets too popular, I’ll stop watching.

[@davefrench3608]

I wasn’t aware that this important element of Romano British culture continued after the legions abandoned Britain. Did you go to the Wilberforce museum? Made a lifelong impression on me.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Generally the latest mosaics are 380s - St. Albans etc. What happened at Chedworth is a real mystery. I didn’t get time to do the Wilberforce Museum, but I think I’ll go back one day without the camera - from what I saw, the Museum Quarter is excellent.

[@hooch304]

Art is judged by the eye of the beholder unfortunately the Romano Brits in the North of Britain, who had little idea of what the subject matter should look like and similarly they had no conception of who was a master mosaic layer and who was a cowboy. Crap art was not confined to the Romans in Britincula as even renaissance artists also were responsible for some grotesque representations of Putti in poorer Italian villas. It was all down to having some idea of what the subject matter should look like and having the funds to afford master craftsman. I was going to say what else could one expect from the ‘ull area , but I will refrain due to my polite nature. Great topic which was well presented as usual.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you! Yes, I was really struck by the enormity of what he was asked to recreate. Very unlikely he’d ever been to an arena and clearly wouldn’t have been familiar with mosaics in North Africa. He gave it his best go!

[@AllotmentFox]

Did you say you were ‘on the home straight’? You’re 54 not 84

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

“Final furlong”! Thank you for the “54” - sadly I am 56. 60 before I know it! I stole and adapted that quote from Fyfe Robertson - remember him?

[@01cthompson]

As we say in America the man of the house told his wife "I know a guy" who will do it for less after she presented the intial price estimate from a professional.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

The cause of marital discord throughout time!

[@davidhowe6905]

10:15 Maybe the villa owner was keen on DIY?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Hi David, interestingly they found a workshop dedicated to mosaic maintenance in that villa, so you might be right!

[@Eric_L456]

If only history at school had been taught like this! Great video, agree with you about NT being woke.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you Eric - that’s encouraging feedback to receive! Cheers. The National Trust do frustrate me. They seem to have forgotten their basic objective to save old buildings and protect countryside. And they don’t like antiquarians filming on their sites!

[@eh1702]

Of course they would’ve been talking about the weather - their prosperity depended directly on it. Anyone who owned country villas like these was landowning class. The crops were their wealth.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes of course. It was just a joke about the British cliche.

[@philcollinson328]

A few years ago I bought a huge selection of those small Mexican tiles for a splash back behind our stove. They measured about 5cm x 5cm. I bought them with tracking provided and they zig zagged the U.S.A for months before arriving in Australia...digressing sorry...The main point was, it was such a hassle tiling with uniform square tiles that small, I could not imagine using tesserae.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

It must be a very hard art to master. Not quick to do, either. I bet it was a pricey investment for the villa owners.

[@philcollinson328]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I bet after they saw the Venus, they demanded their money back!. I'd not pay for a Bella Emberg mosaic in my home when I'd asked for a Margot Robbie. .

[@PhilMBarrett]

'National Wokeee Trust' 🤣🤣. I love the northern mosaics! Have you seen the Aldborough wolf in Leeds museum? It's a beaut!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Phil! I haven’t, but I’ve heard about it - will make the pilgrimage to check it out.

[@hainanbob6144]

Why would they not want you to film? Seems a bit odd. Great video as always.PS The artisans down south didn't have to wear gloves, they weren't freezing like the northeners!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

I know, it's allowed if you're called Dan Snow, though! Cheers and glad you enjoyed it. Those southerners had no idea how hard it could be!

[@growlwn143]

By the end of the 3rd century we see a decline of artistic talent in the entirety of the roman empire. Many of the sculptures, mosaics, etc become rather dodgy. In that sense these ones completely fit. Additionally, I understand you're making a joke about the national trust. And I get there plenty of things to say about them. But at the same time, they are a major blessing. Plenty of countries that don't have an institution that monitors heritage as they do end up losing many many valuable sites to mismanagement and neglect. And while cultural sites should be freely accessible, paying a bit to fund restoration and maintenance of monuments so your grandchildren can still enoy them isn't the worst, right?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers and yes, just a joke about the National Trust for some of the channel community. I’m a fully paid up member and a grateful for their existence. My main criticisms of the organisation today are not the “woke” thing that a lot of people throw at them, but rather that they don’t save buildings anymore. We really need an organisation to do that in these destructive times. I am so glad they own the great tracts of countryside that they do.

[@LeslieGilpinRailways]

Either the locals liked their goddesses on the buxom side or they were adaptations of local pre Roman deities. Whatever, the southern archeo antiquarians probably buried their average mosaics

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Hi Leslie - there is something a bit Celtic about this Venus, isn’t there? A Celtic version of Venus in a North African template. In the East Riding!

[@lablackzed]

👍👍👍👍👍🍺🍺

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

🍻 cheers!

[@skasteve6528]

People who criticise these craftsmen's work are the same type who look at a Cubist painting and claim that their six-year old could do better. Of course the mosaics would be better the closer to Rome you get. The craftsmen further south, would have been steeped in the art and had probably trained since childhood. The ones further away from Rome, were probably good enough in a variety of techniques to earn a crust.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes, and what they lack in technical mastery, they make up for in colourful enthusiasm. Just attempting to reproduce something from distant lands is worthy of acknowledgment. Cheers.

[@gustafduell4948]

I think the pregnant venus floor looks like some germanic pensionered soldier wanted a fusion between his traditional art and classic roman. Also, does not the last one, the newest, look like a precursor to the book of kells or some saxon jewellery. How would, by the way, the society and economy become if all villa owners went to brittany and left some unemployed workers and energetic germanic soldiers at the villa.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s a really good point about the pensioned soldier. I like that idea. A North African retiring in Yorkshire after years stationed at Eboracum. That’s the great thing about antiquarianism - all the things we can speculate about. Cheers.

[@markvickers6641]

Even the Romano Britain's had to put up with Cowboy Builders. 😂

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cowboys have been with us throughout all time!

[@RonSeymour1]

Try taking your drone off from a public area but flying over the sites. Not always possible because of distance but they can't stop you, although they will try to. Their policy, blah, blah, blah, but as long as it is not a CAA no-fly zone you are good.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes it’s really terrible how they misquote the law at people. I’m a member of both the National Trust and English Heritage, but there’s a lot I don’t like about them.

[@TalesFromTheBlahSide]

You sure she wasn't playing tennis?

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

😂 It does look a bit like that, doesn’t it?!

[@lindafarnes486]

I can't see any home owner paying for a mosaic they didn't want. One thing about mermaids is people have struggled to come up with a design that works well. They want them to look pretty but procreation like a fish doesn't seem to work well artistically. (I read an article in the subject many years ago). I thought she looked pregnant. I'm betting that she is a merwoman (rather than maid), and that there was a story that went with images. A story sadly lost to time.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That’s an interesting idea. I must confess that I’m not familiar with the difference between a merwoman and a mermaid - I presume no fish tail?

[@janecapon2337]

Everyone in the south forgets Yorkshire!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

That is too true. In my own small way I try to redress the balance!

[@CarolWoosey-ck2rg]

And everywhere else up North

[@davidberlanny3308]

Not me Jane!!

[@hedleythorne]

Great video, rubbish mosaics. Quite fancied Venus though. Personal choice.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Cheers Hedley - I definitely think she’d be fun on a night out - Bignor Venus, not so.

[@phil2186]

Those of us with kids will have had far worse art stuck on the fridge.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

A Venus fridge magnet - now there’s an idea!

[@AndyJarman]

It's surprising they could recognise you, you dress in such a low profile manner.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Ha! I probably do need to develop a disguise!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Those custodians might be wary of you in case you were planning to hurl soup or paint over the mosaic, though your dapper appearance contrasts sharply with the deranged eco-zealots.

[@jointgib]

northern new money gets ripped off by local "craftsmen"

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Ha! That’s the thing. Despite the gap of 1600 years, I bet the same things happened! Cheers.

[@RonSeymour1]

That was a previous reincarnation of Kim Kardashian.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

There’s a Kim Kardashian for every time!

[@PaIaeoCIive1684]

Nah, the bum would be even bigger.

[@JohnSmith-uy9dx]

I love you

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Thank you!!

[@vsvnrg3263]

this was a show about the foibles of home handymen and why you should hire professionals. in 2000 years people on youtube might make fun of you.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Yes exactly! The sequence goes: circa 300AD has new lumpy Venus mosaic laid; circa 450AD villa abandoned; 450AD to 1932AD villa disappears into ground; 1930s/1960s: Villa excavated and mosaics moved to museum; 2024 mosaics laughed at on KZbin!