LONDON.- One of the most significant archaeological projects of recent times – a reconstruction of the great Orpheus pavement – is to be sold by Chorley’s on Thursday, 24th June 2010. Made from 1.6 million pieces of small, hand-cut clay blocks called tesserae, the 2,200 square foot (205 square metre) mosaic took 10 years for brothers Bob and John Woodward to complete. The Roman period was one of great prosperity for Britain and Gloucestershire was no exception. Large settlements were developed around Gloucester and Cirencester and the wealthy built great villas nearby. The villa at Woodchester near Stroud must have belonged to somebody of great wealth and influence and of the 60 rooms, some 20 had mosaic floors including the large hall which contained the Great Orpheus pavement. The mosaic depicts Orpheus, one of the most important