15 October 2022
Peter Kelly
As I embark on my creative journey, I can’t help but wonder: what are the artistic roots of my chosen mosaic? Throughout this blog post, I hope to reveal the history of mosaics in the Roman Empire as a whole, then dive deeper into my one selected mosaic.
Mosaics first came to prominence in the Greco-Roman world. In the 8th century BC, when Greeks started to adopt the mosaic, they became much more intricate and detailed and began to look like the ones we think of when we think of mosaics. Early materials included things such as beach pebbles, stained glass, precious stones, and shells. Most of the first subjects of the first mosaics were Greek gods, which is similar to early Greek plays and poetry, and they did this because the Greeks loved to portray the ideal human societies and people. Mosaics could be found in many places, but typically, since having a mosaic signified wealth, just as owning a statue of oneself, they were found in rich peoples’ homes.
The particular mosaic I chose is a mosaic at Ostia Antica, which depicts two boats surrounding a flame.
The city of Ostia Antica was located in the modern suburb of Ostia, about 19 miles from the harbor city of Rome. Ostia Antica, literally “ancient mouth”, was a major port city for the Roman Empire. The city’s connection to the River Tiber made it easy to receive goods from the Mediterranean Sea and ship them in barges immediately up the river to Rome. As a result, boats and sea animals became common motifs for mosaics and other artwork in buildings. The boat on the right can be assumed to be a bireme, an ancient warship with two rows of oars on each side.
The specific black-and-white mosaics, like the one above, can still be seen today at the Piazzale delle Corporazioni (literally “square of the guilds”). It faced the Tiber, and was a forum filled with shops. Guilds, such as the guilds of merchants, shipowners, and entrepreneurs, would set up shop there, and each shop had one of these mosaics in front. This was a prime spot because it was so close to the river, which guaranteed easy access into the empire’s capital. This explains why certain images, like boats filled with merchants, were primary themes in the mosaics, and it sheds some light on my chosen mosaic, which may have been selected for a guild for woodworkers. Aside from looking cool, the mosaics also advertised what the various merchants were selling, drawing people into their shops, so it was necessary to have a certain level of detail to communicate easily what the goods are.
The material used to make mosaics could vary, but they were usually pieces of stone or glass, called tesserae. As opposed to other famous mosaics, such as the mosaics at Delos in Greece, or the Parrot at Pergamon, all of the mosaics were black and white. Primarily, this was due to the fact that the people making them were the working/lower class of the time period, and could not afford to find many colors of materials. Also, black and white mosaics were less likely to fade over time, so the colors are still clear and the meanings still evident even today. The low income of the creators led to some different materials, like flint and local rocks, to be prioritized over the more expensive glass. More information can be found here: http://www.crumbs-on-travel.com/the-black-and-white-of-ostia-antica/
The current municipio, or district, of Ostia values these mosaics, as they serve as a tourist attraction and preserve the cultural history of the area. This has led to them being preserved in their original spots, whereas some well-known mosaics are preserved in museums. Through these mosaics, we can peek into the past and catch a glimpse of what artwork the Roman Empire was known for and what products were in circulation.
Works Cited:
Mules, Gods, and Ad Men: Ostia Antica’s Mosaics
Ostia Antica and its importance in Roman sea trading
The Black-and-White of Ostia Antica
Ostia Antica
MOSAIC PROJECT 23 