Mosaics: small wonders from Ostia Antica’s great past

Mar 12, 2015 1258

Ostia Antica was founded by king Anco Marzio in the 7th century BC to be Rome’s harbor. By the time it fell into decay at the end of the Empire, it had been embellished with incredible mosaics, both polychrome and black and white.

Small tesserae in calcareous stone, marble, flint, or colorful local rocks – brick red, pale yellow, brown, greenish, and blue-gray – completely covered walls and floors with motifs inspired by geometric shapes or flowers, portraits of the gods and mythological creatures like the Nereids and Tritons, seahorses, fish, ocean floors populated with marine animals, ships, scenes about fishing and daily activities.

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Source: http://www.italianways.com/

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