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What is a Mosaic?

• A Mosaic is the art of arranging small pieces of
  colored glass, stone, tile, wood or other
  materials in a decorative pattern.

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When and where were Mosaics first used?

• Some of the first floor mosaics date as far back
  as the 1st century BC
• The Greeks were one of the first cultures to
  master the mosaic floor tiles which lined the
  hallways and walkways of the palaces and were
  done in geometric shapes.

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Examples of Floor Mosaics
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Pictorial Mosaics

• Large pictorial mosaics took a long time to make
  and were expensive, so they were very precious
  and a sign of great wealth
• They were mostly used to decorate the insides of
  churches and religious buildings

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Pictorial Floor Mosaics
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Different Styles of Mosaics and there ethnic
backgrounds

• Christian mosaics show figures and animals with
  decorative borders
• In Islam, temples were decorated with beautiful
  designs of leaves and palm trees with a vibrant
  gold background
• The Greeks mostly decorated their floors with
  dark and light pebble mosaics
• The Egyptians made mosaic jewelry for the kings
  by setting tiny pieces of turquoise and precious
  stones into gold