When you think of artwork, especially ancient works of art, you probably imagine paintings or sculptures. One form of art that often gets overlooked is mosaics. Mosaics are a pattern or image made up of small pieces of stone, glass, or ceramic. They can be found on floors, walls, and ceilings. They are works of art, but they are also about architectural and interior design. They can be utterlyspectacular, and they have a long history.
The oldest known mosaics date back tothe 3rd millenniumBCE and were found in a temple in what used to be Mesopotamia, or modern-day Iraq. These ancient mosaics feature a variety of materials that were locally sourced, such as stones, seashells, andivory.
Other old mosaics that canbe traced back tothe BronzeAge (from roughly 3000 BCE to 1000 BCE) have been unearthed in Greece. Mosaics were incredibly popular during the time of the Greek and Roman Empires. Starting from around the 3rd century BCE, mosaics in the Mediterranean began to feature tesserae, or small square tiles, rather than pebblesto create more intricatedesigns and patterns.
Mosaics were also widely used in and around religious sites. Wall and ceiling mosaics decorated many Christian churches starting in the 4th century. Artists in the 5th and 6th centuries adorned Jewish synagogueswith floor mosaics. In the 7th century, Islamic architects decorated mosquesand palaces with mosaics.
Mosaics found in central America go all the way back tothe time of the Maya Empire. This discovery indicates that the art of creating mosaics developed independently in the region rather than being introduced by other cultures.
