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The ancient Romans were master stonemasons, creating everything from durable roads and massive buildings to intricate gemstone carvings, decorative mosaics, and marble sculptures. Roman mosaics were made up of hundreds or thousands of tiny hand-cut, colored stones and gems called tesserae, like this fragment here. But the Romans favored more detailed artworks to demonstrate their skill, like that seen here with the jasper carved head.
- Mosaic Fragment from the Golden House of Nero (Palace), Rome, ca. 65-68 CE
- Red Jasper Carved Human Head Sculpture, Egypt, ca. 100 CE
