5th and 6th graders learned about ancient Greece’s most popular art form: the mosaic, and then created their own. Instead of using tile, glass, and rocks like Greeks did, we used small pieces of paper.  It was a tedious job, but the end result was well worth the labor! Step back and enjoy.

Did you know…?

• MOSAIC came from the Greek word Mousa – which means MUSE – who was the god of the arts. The work MUSIC comes from the same word.
• Mosaics were made as early as 400 BC of pebbles, tile, and glass set into mortar. They were mostly made for private houses to show wealth and social status – you can tell a lot about somebody from their house. They covered entire floors with these pictures and scenes, often with several borders around each picture. They were sort of like designs you would see on a carpet. Special craftsmen came to lay down the mosaics, which depicted scenes of everyday life, the countryside, Greek myths, ocean scenes and heroes/goddesses. 
• Greeks believed in using pictures to tell stories.  Eventually mosaics moved from floors to walls – especially church walls. This was logical, as they didn’t have to be perfectly flat, nor cleaned so often.