When Britain was part of the Roman Empire, from mid 1st-early 5th century AD, lavish villas and vast farming estates were dotted all over the land, particularly in southern England. An area of particular growth and prosperity appears at Roman crossroads in East Anton, on the north-eastern side of Andover, situated on the chalk downs and perfect for the growing of cereals. The Roman villa at Fullerton was built on a river that made it an ideal site for a mill to process the crops.

There is evidence of a very successful business here, and some time around the year 360 AD the owners built a luxurious villa facing the river. They decorated the walls with brightly coloured frescos and the floors with colourful mosaics. Most of these had geometric patterns, with the main room being dominated by the Mars mosaic that now resides in Andover museum.

At the time the mosaic was being created, Rome’s influence in Britain was nearing its end. In just twenty years, c.380 AD, the mill appears to have stopped working and within a few decades the site was abandoned.

The Roman Villa had an Iron Age predecessor, in the form of an enclosure. Small ‘Celtic Fields’ have been found all over the area.

The original location of the site has been excavated three times since its initial discovery. First when the floor was lifted in 1872, then again in the 1960s and finally in 2000 and 2001 by Barry Cunliffe as part of the Danebury Envrions Roman Program.