history of mosaics
The history of mosaics began around four thousand years ago. Many of the popular pieces displayed in modern museums today are from the Roman and Byzantine empires. It is believed that the first mosaics consisted of terracotta points pushed into backgrounds as decor.
The Greeks have been credited with elevating mosaic into an exquisite form of art. Early on, these works were highly sophisticated using bits of colored stone to form an image. Using this technique, artists were able to produce detailed images of landscapes, people and paintings. Widely used by Greek artisans, these methodical works can still be seen today in many of the Roman ruins in Italy
Mosaics were also used heavily in sacred structures. Both the Christian and Islamic world imprinted their worship houses with extravagant images using bits of pebble and stone. However, the specific designs would vary greatly depending on whether their origin was from the Eastern or the Western world. Both then and now, styles of mosaic can be geometrical, lexical, mathematical, abstract, realistic, grouted, or ungrouted to name a few. However, they all share the common characteristic of permanence and beauty.