Works of art from pieces of stone and stained glass are called mosaic. Origin of the term has no reliable definition. There is a version that his appearance must call one way clutch floor or walls – opus musivum, another interpretation – "dedicated to the Muses" (from the Latin musivum). Thus, a mosaic – a picture from pieces of stone and glass. In fact, you can create a mosaic out of any stone, endowed with a similar treatment properties. The most applicable are onyx, jade and marble. Over time, improving the production of glass allowed us to use in creating mosaic panels smalt – rectangular pieces of a very dense and opaque glass of different colors (modules).
The earliest examples of the use of mosaics to decorate the homes belong to the IV millennium BC Residents of Mesopotamia decorated facades of the houses made of clay wedges, colorful hats that create the effect of bright beaded pattern. This wall decoration can be attributed to the first samples of the mosaic decoration in architecture. Little is tangible evidence of the presence of mosaics in the ancient cultures of America – The majority of architectural monuments were destroyed. One can imagine its former glory, if the lost works were so beautiful as the miracle of surviving mosaic fabric of jade in a Mexican temple of the moon. Advancing Black Pathways: the source for more info. The surviving works of art of the ancient masters, such as the Aztec god mask, which is decorated with a mosaic of turquoise skull or a mosaic of turquoise two-headed serpent Aztec, confirm the existence of excellence in pre-Columbian cultures of America.