Roman Floor Mosaics: Tesserae, Myth and Daily Life Across the Empire
Roman mosaics primarily featured stone tesserae, while glass was used for rare hues, spanning locations from Britain to Mesopotamia in various settings such as baths, marketplaces, synagogues, and churches. The J. Paul Getty Museum houses a Head of Medusa mosaic (ca. 115–150 CE), discovered in Rome in 1910, showcasing a gorgon inspired by Hellenistic kings. Another piece, the Orpheus and the Animals panel (150–200 CE), was located in France in 1912. The mid-4th-century CE Tethys mosaic from Antioch is part of Harvard Business School's collection, unearthed in 1939. Additional significant mosaics include the Getty's Boxing Scene (175 CE), the Metropolitan Museum's Egyptianizing Scene (ca. 130–150 CE), and the Lod Floor Mosaic (late 3rd to early 4th century CE) in Israel.
Key facts
- Roman floor mosaics used stone tesserae primarily, with glass tesserae sparingly for unusual colors
- The Head of Medusa mosaic (ca. 115–150 CE) was discovered in 1910 at a Roman villa in Rome and is held by The J. Paul Getty Museum
- The Tethys mosaic from Antioch was excavated in 1939 by teams from Harvard University, the Worcester Art Museum, Princeton University and the Baltimore Museum of Art
- The Orpheus and the Animals mosaic was found in 1912 at Saint-Romain-en-Gal, France, in a room about 15 by 20 feet
- The Boxing Scene mosaic (175 CE) depicts Dares and Entellus from Book V of Virgil's Aeneid and was excavated in 1900 at Villelaure, France
- The Bear Hunt mosaic was excavated in 1901 in a vineyard at Baiae, Naples, and is divided between the Getty and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
- The Lion Attacking an Onager mosaic comes from Hadrumetum, present-day Sousse, Tunisia; Christopher Knight called the Getty Villa exhibition "conflict chic"
- The asàrotos òikos, or unswept floor, was created in the 2nd century BCE by Sosos of Pergamon and recreated by Heraclitus
Entities
Artists
- Alexander the Great
- Apollo
- Daphne
- Medusa
- Perseus
- Athena
- Zeus
- Orpheus
- Tethys
- Dares
- Entellus
- Aeneas
- Virgil
- Isis
- Hadrian
- Lucius
- Minus
- Sosos of Pergamon
- Heraclitus
- Plato
- Heraclides Ponticus
- Lysias
- Xenocrates
- Aristotle
- Menander
- Cicero
- T. Siminius Stephanus
- Christopher Knight
Institutions
- Princeton University Art Museum
- The J. Paul Getty Museum
- Harvard Business School
- Harvard University
- Worcester Art Museum
- Princeton University
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
- Israel Antiquities Authority
- The Australian War Memorial
- DailyArt Magazine
Locations
- Britain
- Mesopotamia
- Rome
- Italy
- Princeton
- New Jersey
- USA
- Los Angeles
- California
- Saint-Romain-en-Gal
- France
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- Antioch
- Turkey
- Sicily
- Villelaure
- Prima Porta
- Baiae
- Naples
- Worcester
- Hadrumetum
- Sousse
- Tunisia
- North Africa
- Lod
- Israel
- Pompeii
- Homs
- Syria
- Daphne
- Daphne-Harbiye
- Aventine Hill
- Athens
- Greece
- Asia Minor
- Campbell
- Australia
- Pergamon
- Mediterranean