Several emblemata could make up a single mosaic and gradually emblemata began to resemble more their surroundings when they are then known as panels. So valuable were these works of art that they were often removed for reuse elsewhere and handed down from generation to generation within families. These pieces were known as emblemata as they were often used as centrepieces for pavements with more simple designs. Because of the labour involved in producing these pieces, they were often small mosaics 40 x 40 cm laid on a marble tray or rimmed tray in a specialist workshop. This particular type of mosaic which used sophisticated colouring and shading to create an effect similar to a painting is known as opus vermiculatum, and one of its greatest craftsmen was Sorus of Pergamon (150-100 BCE) whose work, especially his Drinking Doves mosaic, was much copied for centuries after. In the case of flooring, unworked stones and pebbles were used in the 3rd millennium BCE in Mesopotamia, in the Bronze Age cultures in the Near East, and by the Minoans and Mycenaeans of the Aegean.Īs mosaics evolved in the 2nd century BCE, ever smaller and more precisely cut tesserae were used, sometimes as small as 4 mm or less, and designs employed a wide spectrum of colours with coloured grouting to match surrounding tesserae. TechniquesĪlthough each culture developed its own approach to the art of making mosaics, there are many similar features which may be identified across the board.
As even a brief overview of all the mosaics produced in all of the world's cultures is impossible, here we will look at only some example cultures and some of their most celebrated works using the mosaic technique. We can even see how the world once was and glimpse now lost landscapes, flora and fauna. We can see gods, myths, ritual practices, sporting activities, agricultural techniques, architecture, transport, weapons, and tools. From ancient Mesopotamia to Mesoamerica, mosaics not only reveal the artistry of civilizations but also provide an invaluable insight into what ancient peoples wore, ate, and looked like. Like pottery, mosaics have rarely tempted looters and so they are often found in places where everything else has long since vanished. Mosaics are designs and images created using small pieces ( tessrae) of stone or other materials which have been used to decorate floors, walls, ceilings, and precious objects since before written records began.
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