Roman Empire

===Mosaic===
{{Main|Roman mosaic}}
[[File:Neptune Roman mosaic Bardo Museum Tunis.jpg|thumb|''[[Neptune (mythology)|The Triumph of Neptune]]'' floor mosaic from [[Africa Proconsularis]] (present-day Tunisia){{Sfnp|Gagarin|2010|p=463}}]]
[[Mosaic]]s are among the most enduring of Roman [[decorative arts]], and are found on floors and other architectural features. The most common is the [[opus tessellatum|tessellated mosaic]], formed from uniform pieces ''([[tessera]]e)'' of materials such as stone and glass.{{Sfnp|Gagarin|2010|p=459}} ''[[Opus sectile]]'' is a related technique in which flat stone, usually coloured marble, is cut precisely into shapes from which geometric or figurative patterns are formed. This more difficult technique became especially popular for luxury surfaces in the 4th century (e.g. the [[Basilica of Junius Bassus]]).{{Sfnp|Dunbabin|1999|pp=254ff}}

[[Figurative art|Figurative]] mosaics share many themes with painting, and in some cases use almost identical [[Composition (visual arts)|compositions]]. Geometric patterns and mythological scenes occur throughout the Empire. In North Africa, a particularly rich source of mosaics, homeowners often chose scenes of life on their estates, hunting, agriculture, and local wildlife.{{Sfnp|Gagarin|2010|p=463}} Plentiful and major examples of Roman mosaics come also from present-day Turkey (particularly the ([[Antioch mosaics]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2016 |title=Antioch and the Bath of Apolausis – History of the excavations |url=https://www.getty.edu/publications/romanmosaics/catalogue/excavations-antioch |access-date=16 June 2020 |website=J. Paul Getty Museum |archive-date=18 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318165702/http://www.getty.edu/publications/romanmosaics/catalogue/excavations-antioch/ |url-status=live }}</ref>), Italy, southern France, Spain, and Portugal.