“It has generally been believed that most of the population turned to subsistence farming to sustain themselves and, after the break with Rome, Britannia’s administrative system broke down into a series of local fiefdoms,” Papworth added.
‘Tremendously exciting’
The mosaic was uncovered as part of a six-year program of archaeological research and digs at the Chedworth Roman Villa.
Papworth said: “It is interesting to speculate why Chedworth Villa’s owners were still living in this style well into the 5th century. It seems that in the West Country, the Romanised way of life was sustained for a while.
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![The mosaic indicates that the "Romanised" way of life continued in Britain long after the Romans had left the country.](https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_auto,w_514,c_fit/http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cnn.com%2Fcnnnext%2Fdam%2Fassets%2F201210053624-restricted-01-roman-mosaic-scli-intl-gbr-scn.jpg)
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Stephen Cosh, a Roman mosaic expert, said in a statement: “I am still reeling from the shock of this dating.”
“There are very late Roman mosaics in the area for which archeology can only ever say they must be later than a particular date, without being able to say how much later,” Cosh added.
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