Three Roman mosaics, including one featuring a pair of dolphins, have been unearthed in Thalheim near Wels, Austria. Mosaic floors from the Roman period are extremely rare in Upper Austria and these are in excellent condition.The building complex is atop a hill overlooking what was the Roman city of Ovilava. The structure is huge; more than 1,000 square meters (10,800 square feet) of it have been uncovered since excavations began in 2023. The size, features and decoration of the structure suggest it is a residential villa of the elite from the imperial period.The first mosaic with geometric decoration was discovered late last year. Only a small part of it has been uncovered as of yet. This seasons excavation uncovered the pair of dolphins and an outline design of a large krater (a vessel used to mix wine and water) with curved handles that spiral at the shoulders.According to regional authorities, the uniqueness of these mosaics, both due to their state of preservation and the iconographic character of the scenes depicted, places this excavation in a prominent position within the regional archaeological panorama. Although significant discoveries have been made in recent years throughout the country, this discovery in Thalheim bei Wels stands out for its combination of artistic quality, architectural context, and scientific potential. []With this find, Thalheim bei Wels joins the map of key sites of Roman archaeology in the northern Alps, and the dolphin motif, unusual outside the Mediterranean context, raises interesting questions about the artistic and symbolic connections between the northern provinces of the Empire and the centers of artistic production in the south.The ultimate fate of the mosaics is currently under discussion. Lifting them and putting them on permanent display in the redesigned archaeology gallery at the Linz Castle Museum is one option. Another is to show them off at the 2027 State Garden Show in Wels.