Roman Mosaic Art

Timeline

1. c. 1–150Pompeii · CampaniaIn the early Roman Empire aristocratic villas widely laid black-and-white and colored mosaic floors with themes of mythology, geometry, and plant motifs, inheriting the Hellenistic Alexandrian tradition and incorporating Roman aesthetics.
2. c. 150–300Antioch · SyriaIn the 2nd and 3rd centuries large-scale mosaics appeared in public venues and mansions in the eastern empire and North Africa, with techniques tending toward delicate perspective and rich color, becoming a visual language for displaying wealth and power.
3. c. 300–450Ravenna · Emilia-RomagnaAfter the 4th-century legalization of Christianity, mosaics on church walls and vaults flourished; biblical narratives and imperial portraits replaced pagan mythology, with classic works surviving in Ravenna, Constantinople, and elsewhere.
4. c. 450–500Constantinople · ByzantineIn the 5th century the Byzantine Empire inherited and developed the Roman mosaic workshop system; gold-ground backgrounds and standardized iconographic formulas took shape, becoming the signature expression of Eastern Roman religious art.