in the ancient and Byzantine worlds mosaics were usually found in an architectural setting and not intended as independent freestanding artworks consequently mosaics were typically created by artisans in situ or in the exact place they would be displayed they were popular features in public civic and ceremonial structures especially baths but have also been found in the remains of private elite residences mosaics were generally set in two floors and served as the actual surface on which people walked unlike viewing a painting on a wall a viewers vantage point would change as they traveled through a room meaning their experience of the mosaic would constantly change as well a mosaic is made up of hundreds or thousands of individual small tiles called Tesori Tesori could be made from many different types of materials often dictated by what was readily available to stand up to foot traffic floor mosaics were made of the most durable materials colored limestone was commonly used and mosaicism gathered scraps from the workshops of builders and sculptors marble and granite were also durable but harder to find so were more costly in the Roman and Byzantine periods an empire-wide trade network existed to acquire these luxurious materials Moses also sought materials for specific colors and other visual effects terracotta was less durable than marble but provided a good alternative for reds and yellows glass tesserae reflect and refract light creating a surface that sparkles as the viewers Vantage changes these tiles were more fragile so we're usually only found on walls and ceilings semi-precious stones and mother-of-pearl also added luminosity and texture to mosaics today the art of mosaic making is still practiced by expert artisans in fact many of the tools materials and techniques they employ are nearly identical to those used by ancient craftsmen you