Fishbourne Palace Essay

This building is known as the Fishbourne Roman Palace, located in the village of Fishbourne, Chichester in West Sussex and was built around first century AD. Scholars believe the British client king Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus was most likely the owner of the palace and gardens. Cogidubnus was a ‘Roman groomed’ Briton who was in control of party of southern Britain around this time. This image displays a plan for the palace mapped out through excavation done by Barry Cunliffe in 1960s. It gives an accurate look at how the palace was laid out, showing the entrances, rooms and gardens. The palace was massive, covering in total 2.3 hectares and contained over 100 rooms. The palace is stone-walled and contains 4 areas surrounding a central area
The earliest mosaics in the palace are black and white geometric patterns, a popular pattern in Italy at the time. The most well known mosaic in the Fishbourne palace is the Cupid on a Dolphin, which depicts cupid holding a trident on the back of a dolphin. The main interest in this building lies in how lavish it was for its time and place. The south coast of England was an ideal stronghold for Roman operations in its conquest. However, Romano-British villas were not typically so luxurious, most villas in the area were more like farmhouses so the elite status of the owner of the palace would have been blatant. The palace was created in Mediterranean-style and decoration indicated by the black and white mosaics and stucco-work which would’ve been unique to Britain during the 1st century. It appears as though the palace was built in the Flavian period by an architect who took Italian ideas and building techniques and adjusted them to Britain’s local materials and craft. The Fishbourne palace would have been as stunning and impressive showcase of power for the inhabitant in stark contrast of the surrounding area. It demonstrates the extent and success of the Roman’s conquest and suggests their desire for Roman’s to assimilate and adapt their culture in