How were pebble floors made in the Late Bronze Age?

During the Late Bronze Age (1600–1000 BCE), the use of water-worn pebbles as a form of floor covering emerged in Crete and on the Greek mainland.1

While the sophisticated, pictorial pebble mosaics characterized by intricate geometric designs and mythological scenes—such as those found at Olynthus and Pella—were developed by the Greeks much later between the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, the earlier Bronze Age practice involved laying these natural stones as a functional surface. Unlike the later, highly refined mosaics that utilized uniform pebble sizes, lead or terra-cotta strips for detail, and even painted "artificial pebbles," the specific construction methods for these earlier Bronze Age floors are less documented in the historical record beyond their use as a smooth, durable flooring material.213