Roman Mosaics: Comparing The Camel Mosaic And The Alexander Mosaic

8 Pages 2001 Words

Though often over-looked, mosaics are among the most beautiful art forms in history. They are also very durable. Ceilings could cave in, walls could fall and crumble back into earth, but the mosaics remain. This is partly true because fallen debris would cover them and protect them, but also, these were art forms made from pieces of stone and pebbles. Therefore, there are many surviving mosaics today.
Mosaics were especially popular for not only were they beautiful, but they also served a functional purpose as a floor and could be made for fairly cheap depending on the size and how intricate it was. Most mosaics started out as geometric forms but with time, techniques were developed to make them much more detailed. In effect, the richer a person was: the larger and more intricate their mosaic, the poorer he was: the less expensive and detailed it was, mainly geometric decorative pieces or abstract figures.
The first type of the mosaics was the pebble mosaic which made use of small, round, white or colored, sea or river pebbles, approximately 1 cm in diameter. These were common before the 3rd century B.C. and were frequently used for large works of art. The second type of mosaic was the tessera-mosaic, which enabled greater definition by using pre-cut and cube-shaped stones.
Mosaics are found all throughout the Mediterranean and Roman Empire and were used primarily for decorative flooring. However, in the late Roman Empire mosaics would become more and more popular on walls and ceilings, especially depicting Christianity. Mosaics as the Mediterranean world knew them were Hellenistic in origin, however they became very fashionable in the Roman world, especially after the Romans conquered Greece. “Mosaics were highly refined and popular in Roman times and became one of the chief vehicles for the pictorial expression of early Christian and Byzantine artists” (Gardner 180).
I have chosen the Camel Mosaic (Appendix 1,2) ...