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Medium: Limestone tesserae
Geography: Eastern Mediterranean, probably Syria region
Date: about 400-500 AD
Period: Mediaeval, Early Byzantine period
Dimensions: 152 x 77 cm
Images from Classical Mythology remained popular in Byzantine art even though Christianity was the official religion. This splendid mosaic of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, is one of the many versions of a famous Greek statue of her made in the 4th century BC. The image likely represents a statue of Artemis, since she is standing on a grey base and framed by columns (one surviving). Flowers with red and white petals and green stems carpet the background. The talented mosaicist employed a subtle range of coloured tesserae (stones) to achieve the desired effect. Note the graded use of light, medium and dark brown tesserae in Artemis’ flesh, to suggest volume. Also, dark lines and patches of highlights, in contrast, indicate folds in her chiton.
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