Mosaic of the Merchants of Sabratha

This black-and-white floor mosaic (3rd c.) shows an elephant in profile framed by Latin inscriptions in simple tesserae. It comes from the Piazzale delle Corporazioni and marked the station of merchants from Sabratha in Roman North Africa. Sabratha functioned as a coastal hub for Mediterranean trade, and the elephant likely signals the movement of exotic animals for Roman spectacles through Ostia’s harbor.