As anyone who visits my blog knows, I love mosaics. One of the most extensive, and most detailed site in the world to see Roman mosaics is at the Villa Romana Casale at Piazza Armerina in Sicily. There, a patron of enormous wealth–perhaps even the Emperor Maxentius–built a huge villa and decorated every square inch of floor with mosaic. This detail may show the villa’s owner, who, if not Maxentius, may have been a trader and owner of a vast agricultural estate. In addition, it’s thought that he was involved in purchasing wild animals from suppliers in North Africa, which he would then sell to Rome for gladiatorial games. He appears in a magnificent mosaic that shows the loading of wild animals on and off ships.