Britannica Sources used in this answer

When did cut tesserae begin to replace pebble mosaics?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Bird mosaic — mosaic Mosaic floor fragment from a synagogue or church, cut stone with mortar from Israel, late 5th–6th century ce; in the Jewish Museum, New York City.

Pebble mosaics served as the primary form of mosaic decoration until approximately the 3rd century BCE, when they began to be replaced by mosaics made of cut stone cubes, known as tesserae.1

This transition was a gradual process that began at the end of the 4th century BCE or the beginning of the 3rd century BCE. During this period, the introduction of new principles led to the abandonment of the pebble technique in favor of cut pieces, which allowed for the elimination of visible mortar patches and the use of new materials like glass to achieve a broader range of colors.2

Early examples of this shift show a transitional phase where cut, triangular tesserae were used alongside traditional pebbles and lead wire. By at least the beginning of the 2nd century BCE, the opus tessellatum technique—which utilizes uniform tesserae—had become the standard for entire mosaic floors in most areas of the eastern Mediterranean.23