IN a week of headlines full of the possibility of war, Russian oligarchs and their donations to the Tory party, climate crisis warnings as well as the odd storm, the one thing that cheered me up was the discovery of a large, well-preserved, almost intact Roman mosaic in Southwark in London. How beautiful. That it was found in the shadow of the Shard was all the more pleasing. Two markers on the landscape two centuries apart.
The mosaic, uncovered by archaeologists from the Museum of London, is a gift from the past, a reminder that there were others here before us and that we will not be here forever, but the things that we leave behind may outlive us. An artful memento mori, if you like.
As a kid I never had much time for the ancient Romans. The ancient Greeks were my favourites. The Romans were just the bad guys in Asterix. Even so, I couldn’t help but be thrilled to see the images of the Southwark mosaic. If nothing else, the Romans knew a good tile when they saw one.
What is fascinating about this find is that it is proof once again that the human story has not changed so very much in 2,000 years. The mosaic is on the site of a “mansio”, an upmarket motel for Roman officers and officials. In other words, the Romans liked a weekend away in London too. They possibly didn’t have tickets for Wicked or Hamilton or the LSO, but otherwise their time in the city probably wasn’t that much different than yours or mine would be. Drinks, some kind of show and maybe breakfast in bed.
What I think is most thrilling about this discovery is that it also reminds us that art is eternal. Or at least outlives most other things, including us. This pattern of lotus flowers and geometric shapes is the work of long-forgotten craftsmen, but it still speaks to us. The glory of ancient Rome may have long since faded, but these mosaics are still a vibrant, beautiful example of someone’s eye and hand. What we make is what will mark us out to those who come after us.
It’s a lovely idea in a dark time, isn’t it? A prompt to recall that while, as the Bible says, all flesh is grass, we live on the art we leave behind. Some 2,000 years from now (if we are still about) our descendants won’t be too bothered about our online tax returns or who wins the next Old Firm match or Vladimir Putin’s brand of bellicose nationalism. But a building, a painting, a book, maybe a film (if there’s still some way to show it) might catch their eye or their imagination. They might not know anything about the person who made it (chances are, Google won’t exist anymore), but the record it provides will be a key to who we are/were.
They’ll have their own worries, of course. But I like the thought that an Antony Gormley statue will hopefully mean much more to our ancestors than a dictator like Vladimir Putin. Art abides. Creation is always more thrilling than destruction.
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