Second to third centuries CE
At Nea Paphos the Romans built villas that became famous for their mosaic floors. We photographed images of Theseus and Dionysus and complex multi-figure scenes accompanied by Greek inscriptions.
In the House of Theseus, the circular composition resembles a labyrinth: Theseus is shown at the centre and the pattern around him conveys the very idea of the myth. In the House of Dionysus, the scenes form a kind of stone picture book about gods, festivals and daily life.
At the site we compare geometric borders, inscriptions and ways of depicting movement. Even a small fragment helps explain how an artist assembled a large image from thousands of stone tesserae.
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