Archaeologists excavating the Villa Romana del Casale in central Sicily uncovered a fourth-century CE mosaic showing two sandals shaped like modern flip-flops in the frigidarium of the villa’s southern baths. The find surfaced during the University of Bologna’s Summer School ArchLABS program, which trained students from 11 countries in excavation techniques.
The Archaeological Park of Morgantina and the Villa Romana del Casale announced the discovery. Along with the sandal image, the team revealed three columns with intact capitals and a short mosaic inscription. Researchers said the panel belonged to a wider decorative scheme portraying daily life and the refinement of the villa’s occupants.
“These finds confirm once again the very high artistic and architectural level of the villa, as well as the importance of the ongoing excavations for the historical and cultural reconstruction of the site,” said the international research team of more than forty scholars and students in a press release, according to the New York Post. Officials added that the discoveries “not only expand knowledge of the Villa Romana del Casale, but also underline the value of archaeological research as a fundamental tool for rediscovering and telling the stories of the cultures that preceded our own,” according to Fox News.
“The flip-flop motif signals the baths’ aristocratic and cosmopolitan character,” said program director Isabella Baldini. Late Roman bath decoration often featured sandal images, with similar motifs recorded in Spain, Cyrenaica, Cyprus, Jordan, and Asia Minor. The imagery reminded bathers that lightweight footwear was typical in warm-weather leisure spaces, a practice that endures. Although popularized worldwide in the twentieth century through Japanese zōri and Brazilian Havaianas, flip-flops trace their lineage to ancient Egypt’s papyrus sandals and the Roman soleae.
Situated about five kilometers south of Piazza Armerina, the villa holds the largest known collection of Roman mosaics—more than 3,500 square meters across some thirty rooms—and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Notable scenes depict women in bikinis playing with a ball, cupids fishing, seahorses draped in panther skins, and the Great Hunt, where animals are rounded up for games possibly organized by the villa’s owner, whom scholars believe may have been a high-ranking official with North African ties.
Research on the complex began in the 1950s under archaeologist Gino Vinicio Gentili, who worked after a medieval landslide had protected the ruins for centuries. Digital modeling, geophysical survey, and archival study are still needed to reconstruct the original layout. The Times reported in March 2024 that the site faces stains, bird droppings, water infiltration, and chronic underfunding—a stark contrast to the imperial wealth it once displayed.
The preparation of this article relied on a news-analysis system.