Mosaic art began in the 10th century BCE as a long-lasting (not to mention easy-to-clean) floor covering in Mediterranean cultures.  Some of the world’s greatest ancient mosaics can be viewed in Italy (Sicily, Venice, Ravenna, Rome and Naples) and Turkey (Istanbul) as well as other areas in the Mediterranean (see map of sites profiled in our guide).

Because mosaics are a part of a site’s architecture, they must be viewed in situ and cannot travel to museums, making seeing them unique to travelers.

We developed this travel guide to give you an approach to understanding mosaics: by looking at common elements across multiple sites and locations, you will begin to appreciate the connections that define the art.

Plan Your Travel Itinerary Using Approach Guides

Whether you plan to visit multiple cities on your trip or to focus on a single city, our Approach Guide to the Ancient Mosaics of the Mediterranean will help guide your itinerary.

Visiting One City: Use this travel guide to plan a half-day or full-day tour of the most important mosaic sites in one city (for example in Palermo or Istanbul). You will begin to see differences in artistic styles, understand the “why” behind the changes and will naturally begin to make comparisons between the sites you visit during the tour.

Visiting Several Cities: Explore the beautiful mosaics of Byzantine and Christian mosaic art by using our guide to identify one or two “must-see” sites in each city you visit. Not only will you gain an appreciation for how the style of mosaic art ebbed and flowed over time (from high realism to near abstraction), you will be able to understand how the unique history of each city influenced the overall development of mosaic art.

Download a FREE PREVIEW (4 of 43 pages)

Ancient Mosaics of ITALY ONLY: Price $9.99 (43 pages; format: PDF; available for immediate download)

Ancient Mosaics of MIDDLE EAST & ISTANBUL ONLY: Price $9.99 (24 pages; format: PDF; available for immediate download)

Buy the COMPLETE SET for $11.99 BEST VALUE! Includes detailed reviews of the ancient mosaics of Italy, Istanbul, and the Middle East – 60 pages. (60 pages; format: PDF; available for immediate download)

Approach Guides to Ancient Mosaics includes detailed reviews of the following mosaics sites, including many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (See our custom map of all the ancient mosaics sites profiled in this guide)

• ITALY
  • Sicily. Sites include Villa Romana del Casale (in Piazza Armerina) and the following sites in Palermo: Cefalu Cathedral, Palatine Chapel, Martorana and Monreale Cathedral
  • Rome. Sites include Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Costanza, Church of Santa Prassede
  • Milan. Sites include the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio and San Lorenzo
  • Ravenna. Sites include the Mausoleum of Galla Placida, Church of St. Vitale, Basilica of St. Apollinaire Nuovo and Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe
  • Venice. Sites include St. Mark’s Cathedral
  • Naples. Sites include the Archaeological Museum of Naples and the Duomo
• TURKEY
  • Istanbul. Sites include Hagia Sophia, Kariy-Camii (the Church in Chora) and the Mosaics Museum
• JORDAN
  • Sites along the King’s Highway. Sites include sites in Madaba (the Church of the Map, Archaeological Park and the Church of the Apostles) and in Umm ar Rasas (the Church of St. Stephen and the Church of Bishop Sergius)
• SYRIA
  • Damascus (Umayyad Mosque)
• EGYPT
  • Sinai Peninsula. St. Catherine’s Monastery

All Approach Guides are offered as PDF files that can be downloaded and printed immediately after purchase.

Martorana Ceiling Mosaics, Palermo (Sicily, Italy)