The height of the mosaic in Roman times
Mosaics may have existed before the Romans, but the latter gave the art its rightful place with their perfect mastery of the art, which they spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. Between the 2nd and5th centuries, mosaics were at their peak in Tunisia.
One of the best-known Roman mosaics is "Ulysses and the Sirens", housed in the Musée National du Bardo in Tunis. It was discovered on the Dougga archaeological site and dates from the 3rd century (260-268). The mosaic, measuring 3.80 meters high by 1.30 meters wide, depicts Ulysses, the mythological hero of Homer'sOdyssey and king of Ithaca, tied by his hands to the mast of a boat to resist the sirens' song. He is surrounded by four seated companions, their ears probably plugged with wax so as not to hear the famous siren song.
This mosaic was found on the same peristyle of the Dougga site as another famous mosaic, "Neptune and the Pirates", also dating from the Roman period, around the 2nd century. It depicts the god of living waters and springs, according to Roman mythology, in a Dionysian scene, confronting pirates on a boat.
The third major work from the Roman period (1st century), also in the Bardo Museum, is the "Virgil mosaic", discovered in Sousse in 1896. It is one of the most famous representations of the poet. He is surrounded by Melpomene, the muse of tragedy, and Clio, the muse of history.
A final large-scale Roman mosaic is that of the "Lady of Carthage". It was discovered on the archaeological site of Carthage, now Tunis, in 1953, in a period villa. Archaeologists and scientists who have studied the mosaic date it to the5th century, without much precision. The Lady of Carthage was at the center of a larger mosaic. It can be seen at the Carthage National Museum.
A testimony of the practices of the time
Mosaics discovered at various archaeological sites in Tunisia - Carthage, Sousse, Hadrumète, Dougga, El Jem, Oudhna (30 km from Tunis) and Bulla Regia - bear witness to the practices of the period. We find many scenes of daily life, from the home, to feasts and banquets, to hunting and war. These are scenes of everyday life, such as circus games or harvests. Like the "Lady of Carthage", many portraits have also been found. Finally, still-lifes, or "xenia" (plants, flowers, animals, etc.), are also frequently depicted in mosaics.
The transmission of a know-how from generation to generation
These mosaics are available in an infinite number of variations, and were mainly found in the homes of former bourgeois of the period. They were a sign of external wealth. This know-how has been handed down from generation to generation. Today, mosaics decorate the interior and exterior of homes and can be found on everything from tables, benches and crockery to paintings and floors. Their price makes them accessible to as many people as possible. Mosaics are composed of fragments of stone, ceramic, enamel or glass, assembled to form a pattern. They are exported internationally, notably to France, the United States and Canada.
