What is Fishbourne Roman Palace?
Q: What is Fishbourne Roman Palace?
A: Fishbourne Roman Palace (or Fishbourne Villa) is a huge Roman villa from the 1st century AD, located near the south coast in the village of Fishbourne, Chichester in West Sussex.
Q: How large is it compared to Buckingham Palace?
A: At about 500 feet (150 m) square, it is larger than Buckingham Palace. It is about the size of Nero's Golden House in Rome or the Roman villa at Piazza Armerina in Sicily.
Q: What was its original purpose?
A: The palace was originally built on the site of a Roman army supply base built during Claudian invasion in 43 AD.
Q: Who may have owned it originally?
A: One theory is that it was built for Sallustius Lucullus, a Roman governor of Britain of the late 1st century. Two inscriptions recording his presence have been found nearby.
Q: When did alterations take place?
A: There were extensive alterations made to the palace in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, with many of its original black and white mosaics being overlaid with more sophisticated coloured work.
Q: What happened to cause its abandonment?
A: The palace burnt down around 270 AD after which it was abandoned.
Q: When did Lucullus possibly leave ownership of Fishbourne Palace?
A: If he did own it originally, then he may have only used it for a few years as he was executed by emperor Domitian in or shortly after AD 93 according to Suetonius' writings.
