Another large surviving section takes the form of a circle inscribed in a large frame filled with alternating triangles. The contrasting white marble and red porphyry creates a colourful geometric composition. The mosaics are magnificent. The floor mosaics can now be seen from good vantage in the restored Roman villa at Kom Al-Dikka. The tiny coloured segments were carefully collected beneath piles of rubble and painstakingly matched to reveal these delightful images of a bird in flight and a duck pecking.
Conservationists now face a conundrum.
Earlier, we tended to remove what we could. But during the last two decades, attempts have been made to preserve mosaics in situ. Early experiments were a success. Therefore, it was with great enthusiasm, and some trepidation, that the Kom Al-Dikka mission decided to conserve the mosaics of the Villa of the Birds where they are. Such an ambitious task requires funds, and while avenues were explored, the team was forced to re-bury the villa to preserve the mosaics intact.