The Mastery of Roman Mosaics

[0:14]Mosaics are made of thousands of tiny stones arranged into a picture or pattern. They usually decorated the floor, but sometimes ceilings and fountains too. In Roman times, decorating your villa with beautiful mosaics was a display of how rich and important you were. In poorer buildings, they were often just one color, but wealthier villas had colorful pictures of religious ceremonies, famous wars, and tributes to the gods. In Pompeii, a famous floor mosaic was found showing Alexander the Great riding into battle. The Romans adopted mosaics from the Greeks, who first made them around the 4th century BC. They originally used black and white natural pebbles, but later used stone, marble, and glass tiles. These materials created tesserae in different colors, about 1 cm wide. Limestone for gray, sandstone for yellow, shale for black, and marble for blues and greens. To create a mosaic, the tesserae were laid out carefully on a layer of mortar, often following a design from a pattern book. They were pressed in, rolled, and polished. In Britain, mosaics were initially made by Mediterranean craftsmen, who then taught local apprentices. Each of the schools around Britain had their own style and designs. As mosaics are very durable, many can be seen today. Nearly 800 have been discovered in Britain. Mosaics in Bignor Villa show Medusa and the goddess Venus, while at the Corinium Museum, there is a scene of Orpheus charming wild animals with music. Looking at these mosaics can give us valuable insight into the lives and culture of the Romans. Here is a selection of Roman mosaics found in Britain.