The Alexander Mosaic, dating from circa 100 BC, is a famous Roman floor mosaic originally from the House of the Faun in Pompeii. It depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia and measures 5.82 x 3.13m (19 ft x 10 ft 3in).
The mosaic illustrates a battle in which Alexander faced and attempted to capture or kill Darius. Alexander defeated the Persian โking of kingsโ twice, first at the 333 BC Battle of Issus and two years later at the Battle of Gaugamela. The work is traditionally believed to show the Battle of Issus.
The mosaic is held to be a copy of either a painting by Apelles, a contemporary with Alexander himself, or of a lost late 4th century BC fresco by the painter Philoxenos of Eretria. The painting / mosaic must have been very famous in his time.
It is painted full of action and movement. It is like a movie in one painting / mosaic. It is one of the most of the finest work of art I have ever seen.
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Posted by Stone.Rome on 2011-10-30 11:52:17
Tagged: , Alexander , the Great , Darius , battle , mosaic , Pompeii , ancient , roman , Greek
