The remains of the Nouvelles villa (Mons, Belgium) were discovered by Émile de la Roche de Marchiennes at the end of the 19th century. They extend over at least six hectares and were investigated during eighteen excavation campaigns between 1964 and 1985. This rural settlement was built in the Nervian civitas, 16 km away from Bavay. A Protohistoric occupation was followed in the first half of the 1st century AD by a settlement bordered by a great rectangular enclosure of almost two hectares. At the beginning of the 2nd century a very large aristocratic residence was built with a 1.5 km long aquaduct and baths. After a final transformation and embellishment at the end of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd century, this main building reached a length of almost 300 metres. In the last third of the 3rd century, a violent fire destroyed the villa which was subsequently abandoned.In addition to 2628 pieces of decorative stones, several fragments of mosaics including 1570 tesserae were collected during these excavations. Belgian stones are predominantly present: Devonian and Carboniferous grey-blue limestones, various Belgian marbles including the Gris des Ardennes and the Rance red marble, as well as clayey limestones of the Tournai stone type. Two magmatic rocks originate from Germany: the Berkum trachyte and the Trier diabase. A few coloured stones originate from France such as the Pouillenay limestone and the Campan marble (both the green and pink varieties). Architectural decorations are made in Euville stone, a white limestone from Lorraine, mainly used in the neighbouring town of Tongres, and above all, in Avesnes stone, a variety of white chalk not only used in Bavay but also in the urban settlement of Famars. Nevertheless, additional Mediterranean stones, present in very small quantities, allow the development of a wider range of colours.The richest collection of ornamental stones comes from a 36 m2 heated room located in the southern wing of the settlement. It shows a black and white floor mosaic imitating an ...