Byzantine mosaics can trace their origin to the Greek tradition of road-building, since Greek roads were often made … See more

Constantine's conversion to Christianity lead to extensive building of Christian basilicas in the late 4th century, in which floor, wall, and ceiling mosaics were adopted for Christian uses. The earliest examples of Christian basilicas h… See more

The events that mark the division between early and middle Byzantine art are called the Iconoclastic Controversies, which took place from 726 to 842. This period is defined by a deep skepticism towards icons; in fact, … See more

Following the Iconoclasm, Byzantine artists were able to resume creating religious images, which people accepted not as idols to be worshiped, but as symbolic and ceremonial elements of religious ritual spaces. Th… See more

Like other mosaics, Byzantine mosaics are made of small pieces of glass, stone, ceramic, or other material, which are called tesserae. During the Byzantine period, craftsmen expanded the materials that could be tu… See more

In Byzantine religious art, unlike the Classical Greek and Roman art that preceded it, symbolism became more important than realism. Instead of concentrating on making the most realistic images pos… See more