With the protective structure built around 150 years ago, the site of the former palace villa in Nennig is one of the oldest museum presentations of archaeological findings in Germany.
During field work in 1852, a farmer discovered a piece of the mosaic made of brightly colored stones depicting a lion. Notified of the find, the Society for Useful Research in Trier arranged for the mosaic floor to be completely uncovered and the shelter to be built. Excavations that began later led to the investigation of the entire area of the former palace villa, which, in terms of size and furnishings, is considered to be one of the most magnificent complexes of its kind in the former provinces of the Roman Empire.
The central building alone had a front length of almost 140 m. On its sides, projecting side wings effectively flanked the entrance area and a 250 m long walkway led from the southern side building to a separate bathing building. In the center of the villa was the large reception hall, which was covered with a 160 m² large, precious mosaic floor, in which a fountain decorated with marble slabs is integrated.
The strictly structured mosaic is spread out like a carpet over imitation black and white marble tiles. The ornamental frame is formed by diamond stars, rectangles, trapezoids and squares, which are decorated with both floral and geometric patterns; but the main focus is on the square gladiator image and the six octagonal medallions, which illustrate other scenes from the world of the amphitheater.
The restoration measures led by the Trier State Museum in 1960 led to the realization that the mosaic was created at the beginning of the 3rd century AD. A multimedia presentation in the museum building provides information about the history and interpretation of the villa and shows a three-dimensional reconstruction of the entire complex.
At the southern entrance to Nennig lies the clearly visible burial mound » Mahlknopf «. The mound, which is surrounded by an elaborate retaining wall, has a diameter of 40 m and can probably be dated to the 2nd century AD. A report from 1817 mentions finds that are now lost. Another burial mound, the » Kleine Mahlknopf «, which can only be seen in an aerial photograph, lies north of this mound.
