Everyday Art
Roman mosaics were a common feature of private homes and public buildings across the empire from Africa to Antioch. Not only are mosaics beautiful works of art but they are also a record of everyday items such as clothes, food, tools, weapons, flora and fauna. They also reveal much about Roman activities like gladiator contests, sports, agriculture, hunting and sometimes they even capture the Romans themselves in detailed portraits. There are still many mosaics which were made by the Ancient Romans. They can be seen in Italy, England, France, as well as other countries that were once part of the Roman Empire.
Craftsmen
Mosaics, otherwise known as opus tesellatum, were made with small black, white and coloured squares measuring between 0.5 and 1.5 cm but fine details were often made using pieces as little as 1mm in size. These squares (tesserae) were cut from materials such as marble, tile, glass, smalto (glass paste), pottery, stone and even shells. the base was first prepared with mortar and the tesserae positioned as close together as possible then gaps were filled with mortar, this is known as grouting. The mosaic was finally cleaned and polished.
Interesting facts about mosaics
1. Roman mosaics were also meant to be walked on.
Paintings covered the interior walls of Roman villas, but weren’t practical for decorating floors. Mosaics are a long lasting and beautiful way to decorate a room.
2. They’re interactive.
Mosaics are designed to be seen from different angles. Below is a mosaic of a hunting scene, the border encourages you to walk around and look again.
3. Mosaics are full of drama.
Action scenes, violent hunts, exotic creatures, and mythology are all subjects on mosaics. The scene below, shows a lion sinking its fangs into a bull.
4. Mosaics were symbols of wealth and status.
Roman mosaics were created to beautify and impress guests inside private homes. Wealthy Romans chose themes to reflect their status: mythological stories would show off a man’s learning and scenes of wild animals being caught for fights in the arena might show his support for public games.
5. To get special colours, mosaic artists used glass and imported stones.
Unusual colors were used for special sections. They used glass for brighter colours like blue and green.
6. They’re as brightly colored now as they were 2,000 years ago.
Mosaics are made of stone and glass, which dont really fade.
7. Mosaics tell us about ancient history.
Mosaics are important not only as art, but as evidence of where and how people lived, worked, and thought. The locations of many mosaics have been recorded over the centuries by archaeologists, helping to explain their cultural background.
8. Many mosaics lay under the soil for thousands of years.
Because they are built into buildings, mosaics are among the best preserved of all Roman art.
9. The Romans sometimes redecorated, adding new mosaics on top of old ones.
10. Where the Romans went, so did mosaics.
The spread of mosaics confirms the vast spread of Roman power, from France to Syria to Tunisia. And like the rest of Roman culture, mosaics in different places reveal a combination of local traditions and Roman influence.
Villa Romana del Casale, built between the 3rd and 4th century A.D., was partially destroyed by an earthquake in the 12th century. However, the mosaics adorning nearly every room were preserved by a mudslide and survived in nearly pristine condition until they were rediscovered by archeologists some 700 years later. They remain one of the finest collections of Roman tile work in the world.
