predecessors of the bikini date back to antiquity, in çatalhöyük and the greco-roman world. artwork dating back to the diocletian period (286-305 ad) in villa romana del casale, sicily depicts women in garments resembling bikinis in mosaics on the floor. the images of ten women, dubbed the "bikini girls", exercising in clothing that would pass as bikinis today, are the most replicated mosaic among the 37 million colored tiles at the site. archeological finds, especially in pompeii, show the roman goddess venus wearing a bikini. a statue of venus in a bikini was found in a cupboard in the southwest corner in casa della venere; others were found in the front hall.