Floor Mosaic The Punishment of Dirce, Pula

Floor Mosaic The Punishment of Dirce, Pula

Cleaning up after a bombing of World War II, one never knows what one will find. No one expected the Punishment of Dirce. But there it was, a floor mosaic, perfectly preserved. It had been buried for more than a thousand years. It measured 20 by 40 feet. It had been part of a Roman villa, a choice property in its day.

The mosaic tells the story of Dirce. It's not complicated. Dirce was the second wife of King Likos. Dirce was obsessively jealous of the king's first wife, Antiope. Whether Likos divorced Antiope or he just liked having two wives is not clear. At any rate, Dirce tried to jail Antiope. Along came Atiope's twin sons Amfion and Zetos.

It happened that the twins were sired by Zeus. Likos was unaware of this. Amfion and Zetos killed Likos and they really came down hard on Dirce. They arranged to have a bull trample her on the rocks. The story is told in panels. Most of the panels are geometric designs of creatures and leaves. The crucial panel shows the full bull story.

Illustrations of the death of Dirce are rarely happened upon. The mosaic is beautifully crafted. There is a similar story of Dirce in the Vatican Museum. It is a painting of the same bull, the same girl and the same nasty twins.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Pula. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Floor Mosaic The Punishment of Dirce on Map

Sight Name: Floor Mosaic The Punishment of Dirce
Sight Location: Pula, Croatia (See walking tours in Pula)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Pula, Croatia

Create Your Own Walk in Pula

Create Your Own Walk in Pula

Creating your own self-guided walk in Pula is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Pula Introduction Walking Tour

Pula Introduction Walking Tour

Greek mythology attributed the foundation of the city of Polai, known as Pula today, to the Colchians. In the story of Jason and Medea, it is said that Jason seduced Medea, the Witch of Colchis. He then escaped with her and the Golden Fleece. The unlucky Colchians chased them into the Adriatic. They lost them and being lost themselves, they settled in Polai which they called a "Place of...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles
Pula's Seaside Walking Tour

Pula's Seaside Walking Tour

If you crave for holidays by the sea, the Croatian coast is a good choice for family vacation, especially so if it includes the town of Pula. This charming port city is rich in tourist attractions, the most famous of which, undoubtedly, are the local beaches and bays.

Indeed, the dreamlike beaches of Pula are widely regarded among the most picturesque in Istria. Incredibly spectacular, these...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles