The House of Dionysus
An extremely popular tourist destination for holiday makers in Paphos is the House of Dionysus. This is a luxurious 2nd century house that was named because of it mosaic floor that depicts Dionysus riding a panther.
This house was home to the Roman governor at the time and is situated in the Archeological Park which is open to visitors daily. The House of Dionysus has been restored as much as possible and a roof has been placed on to protect the mosaics that are still on the floors today.
In its time, the House of Dionysus would have had multiple stories although today the upper floor has collapsed. The central mosaic and some of the decorative plastering which covered the walls is still visible in some of the rooms. On viewing this amazing structure from up the hill you can see that the elaborate floor is in fact surrounded by eight Doric columns and the private rooms that would have been located upstairs would have looked down into this central court area.
History says the house would have been built in the 2nd century AD and would have been a Greco-Roman style of house. It was destroyed and abandoned in the 4th century AD after a series of earthquakes.
Taking up 2000 square meters, 556 of the square meters in the House of Dionysus are covered with floor mosaics. These mosaics depict mythological, hunting, and vintage scenes. At the entrance to the House of Dionysus you will find a pebble mosaic that represents Scylla the mythical sea monster and historians have stated that this mosaic belongs to a Hellenistic building that would have been built here before.
Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and here in this Roman villa you will find many different mosaic decorations that represent him. The house during its time would have been a private villa with over 40 different rooms and would have belonged to a wealthy citizen or a member of the Roman class.
If you are holidaying in Paphos a visit to the House of Dionysus should not be missed. The mosaics on show are fantastic and something you will remember for a long time.