Marvel at these mesmerizing Roman mosaics

One of the most celebrated mosaics in the world is housed at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples—the Slaughter at Issos. It depicts the first pitched battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III. It's also known as the Alexander Mosaic for including the two most distinguished and recognizable figures of Alexander the Great and King Darius. Dated back to between 120 and 100 BCE, it was discovered at Pompeii.

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Sousse Archaeological Museum, Tunisia -

Among the artifacts on display at the Sousse Archaeological Museum is the amazing Neptune on his sea chariot mosaic. The museum houses the second largest collection of mosaics in the world after that of the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Turkey.

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Villa Romana del Casale, Italy -

Some of the most beautiful Roman mosaics ever discovered can be admired at Villa Romana del Casale, in Sicily. Gracing the floors of a building dating back to the 4th-century CE, the sumptuous and highly detailed designs include hunting scenes such as this.

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Villa Romana del Casale, Italy -

Villa Romana del Casale is especially known for the mosaic depicting women practicing at a gym attired in two-piece apparel and affectionately known as the "bikini girls."

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Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Italy -

Ravenna was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until the Empire collapsed in 476 CE. Still standing, however, is the famous Galla Placidia mausoleum, the interior of which is entirely covered in mosaics made from colored glass and gold leaf.

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Ostia, Italy -

The Ostia neighborhood of Rome is where to admire Ostia Antica, the location of the harbor city of ancient Rome. Among the many finds is the House of Bacchus and Ariadne. The black and white floor mosaic depicts Bacchus with his wife Ariadne and the struggle of Eros and Pan (love and lust) with an elderly Silenus as referee.

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Hatay Archaeology Museum, Turkey -

Celebrated for its extensive collection of Roman and Byzantine-era mosaics, Hatay is the archaeology museum of Antakya. Pictured are the tragic masks, a detail from a mosaic of the Triumph of Dionysus uncovered at the ancient Greek city of Antioch.

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Galleria Borghese, Italy -

Rome's Galleria Borghese holds this gigantic fighting gladiators mosaic, a 28-m- (91 ft-) long masterpiece of Roman craftsmanship.

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Caesarea, Algeria -

Caesarea was the capital of Mauretania, a Roman colony in Roman-Berber North Africa. The city featured a hippodrome, amphitheater, basilica, numerous Greek temples, and Roman civic buildings all featuring splendid mosaic floors. Many of these have been carefully excavated to reveal beautiful and incredibly detailed pastoral scenes. Caesarea is today called Cherchell, and lies in modern Algeria.

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Caesarea, Israel -

Confusingly, there is also a Caesarea in Israel, known as Caesarea Maritima for its position on the coast not far from modern-day Tel Aviv. As the Roman capital of the province of Judaea, Caesarea Maritima enjoyed considerable status, evident in the many mosaics unearthed that would have decorated the halls and rooms of numerous villas set within and on the outskirts of the city. Flowers, animals, and birds are favorite decorative subjects of most of these ancient floors.

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Volubilis, Morocco -

Volubilis is a partly excavated Berber city in Morocco situated near the city of Meknes, and was part of the Roman Empire from around 40 to 300 CE. Each house at Volubilis featured a mosaic floor, and most are still visible today. The most impressive of these is the near-complete mosaic in the House of Orpheus (pictured), which features a host of colorful wild animals.

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Delos, Greece -

The island of Delos is the idyllic setting for one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. Indeed, the sense of antiquity is quite tangible. Look closely and you'll spy gems like this, a tiny mosaic of a snarling panther from the House of the Masks, dated to circa 100 BCE.

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Heraclea Lyncestis, North Macedonia -

A fantastic 5th-century mosaic, so vibrant in detail it almost resembles a carpet, dazzles visitors to the ruins of an Early Christian basilica set within the Heraclea Lyncestis archaeological site near Bitola. In fact, so vivid are the frolicking deer, lions, and bulls depicted in Bitola's mosaics that they almost match those found at Pompeii for richness and vitality.

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Ercolano (Herculaneum), Italy -

The exquisite wall mosaic of the sea god Neptune and his wife Amphitrite in Ercolano (Herculaneum) near Naples.

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Ephesus, Turkey -

Originally an ancient Greek city, Ephesus came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BCE. Today it's one of the best places in the region to discover Roman mosaics, especially within the remains of the terrace houses that show how the wealthy lived during the period.

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British Museum, England -

Included in the British Museum's vast inventory is the so-called Leadenhall Street mosaic. Named for the location in London where it was unearthed, the circular mosaic features Bacchus, god of wine, riding on a tiger. It's one of the earliest surviving mosaics from Roman Britain.

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Pompeii, Italy -

Dozens of beautiful mosaics help illustrate the ruins of Pompeii but this one is wonderfully domestic, the well-known Cave Canem (beware the dog) mosaic.

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Plovdiv, Bulgaria -

Plovdiv claims to be the oldest continually inhabited European city, with more than 6,000 years of history. It flourished as Philippopolis or Trimontium, the capital of the Roman province of Thracia, with many fine villas and town houses built for wealthy Roman families. One such residence is known as Eirene, and features an impressive mosaic of Eirene, the goddess of peace, at the center of a large salon. All of Plovdiv's mosaics can be admired as part of a visit the city's TrakArt complex.

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Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth, Greece -

Among the many fabulous mosaics on display in the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth is this hypnotic mosaic decorated with geometric motifs and Dionysius' head with fruit and ivy in his hair. Pitchers with ivy are set in the corners. The museum is located within the archaeological site at Archaia Korinthos.

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Nora, Italy -

Once the site of a punic-Roman town near Pula, in the south of Sardinia, Nora is decorated by some wonderfully vivid mosaics, mostly designed from flowers and circles.

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Romano-Germanic Museum, Germany -

The Dionysus Mosaic at the Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne is set in situ on the dining room floor of a former Roman villa. It's the best example of a Roman mosaic in northern Europe.

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Fisbourne Roman Palace, England -

Fisbourne Roman Palace near Chichester constitutes the largest residential Roman building so far discovered in Britain. It dates from around 75 CE and features the wholly intact Cupid on a Dolphin floor mosaic.

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Bignor Roman Villa, England -

The large courtyard villa known as Bignor Roman Villa is located in West Sussex, and impresses with an ensemble of exceptional floor mosaics that are among the most complete and intricate in Great Britain. The fighting gladiators are of very high quality.

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Conimbriga, Portugal -

Some of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the Iberian Peninsula are found at Conimbriga, the largest Roman settlement excavated in Portugal. Many of Conimbriga's floor mosaics are fully intact.

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Lullingstone Roman Villa, England -

The floor mosaic pictured here depicts Bellerophon slaying the Chimera, riding on the winged Pegasus. Dating back to the 1st century CE, the mosaic is displayed at Lullingstone Roman Villa in Kent.

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Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Italy -

Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia stands over several impressive mosaics, some of which are Roman in origin. Of note is a richly detailed mosaic pavement from the 4th century CE.

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Lin, Albania -

The foundations of a long-ruined Early Christian basilica located near the sleepy village of Lin enclose a collection of fine Roman mosaics laid down either in the 4th or 5th century CE.

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Baths of Caracalla, Italy -

Rome's Baths of Caracalla date back to 206 CE and are the most extensive of any surviving Roman bathing establishments. Colored, generally abstract mosaic flooring features widely throughout the ruined spa complex. The best pieces, however, are housed at the Vatican Museums.

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Constanta, Romania -

Constanta on the shores of the Black Sea boasts an extensive Roman past. It's a history exemplified by the remains of the huge Roman Mosaics Edifice, situated in the historic port quarter.

Sources: (Getty Museum) (Ancient World Magazine) (British Museum) (USA Today) (Britannica)

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Marvel at these mesmerizing Roman mosaics

Where to admire the finest examples of this ancient artwork

09/06/21 | StarsInsider

TRAVEL Antiquity

Mosaics have a long history, but they are especially associated with ancient Rome. Made from tesserae (small, colored natural stones), marble, or glass pieces, mosaics decorated the floors and walls of temples, bathhouses, and villas across the Empire. Vibrant, vivid, and depicting all sorts of scenes, mosaics were an essential decorative element of any building. Centuries after they were created, many of these venerable compositions have survived and can be admired at archaeological sites or as treasured artifacts in museums and cultural centers. But where can you see some of the most mesmerizing Roman mosaics?

Click through and gaze upon the finest examples of this ancient artwork.