Detail of a Roman Figural Mosaic in the University of Pennsylvania Museum, November 2009

Figural Mosaic
Perhaps from Utica, Tunisia
First half of the 3rd century AD

# MS 4012

An intriguing puzzle, this mosaic appears to be an adaptation of a now lost mosaic from Hadrumentum (Sousse). It probably came from the Roman Tunisian town of Utica and represents Theseus sailing away from the Cretan labyrinth, here mostly missing. Its inscription, VINCLVSVS, repeated twice, remains controversial.

Text from the U. Penn. Museum label.

and

Mosaic Flooring

Mosaic flooring, the decorative equivalent of carpeting, was in near universal use throughout the Roman Empire. The Romans took the concept from the Greeks who made mosaics of carefully selected natural pebbles. In the 3rd- 2nd centuries BC this art form was modified through the use of tesserae- stones, glass, or glazed terracotta cubes cut to uniform sizes. Tessellated mosaics became the norm in the Roman period.

The fragments shown here illustrate several techniques of Roman mosaic.

Text from the U. Penn. Museum wall plaque.