NAPLES, ITALY—Artnet News reports that a section of opus sectile flooring has been discovered at Baiae, a luxurious Roman town now underwater in the Gulf of Naples, by a team of divers from C.S.R. Restoration of Cultural Heritage, Underwater Archaeology and Technology. Opus sectile flooring is made up of large, polychrome stones cut into precise shapes and was popular among elites during the first century A.D. Such large stones made it more expensive than mosaic flooring, which was made with small tesserae. This floor, made with recycled materials, was installed in a villa’s porch reception area overlooking the sea. Baiae eventually sank into the Gulf of Naples between the third and fifth centuries A.D. To read more about the archaeology of Baiae, go to "Slideshow: Italy's Underwater Sculpture Garden."
