The Alexander Mosaic, dating from approx. 200 BC, is a famous mosaic from Pompeii that depicts a battle between the armies of Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia. Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC - 200s BC - 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC Years: 205 BC 204 BC 203 BC 202 BC 201 BC - 200 BC - 199 BC 198 BC... Mosaic is the art of decoration with small pieces of colored glass, stone or other material. ... A computer-generated depiction of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 which buried Pompeii, from Discovery Channels Pompeii: The Last Day. ... Alexander the Great (Greek: [1], Megas Alexandros; July 356 BC — June 11, 323 BC), also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon (336–323 BC), was one of the most successful military commanders in history, conquering most of the known world before his death; he is frequently included in a... Darius III (near middle) battling Alexander the Great (far left) Darius III or Codomannus (c. ...

Alexander Mosaic

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1574x1018, 678 KB)alexander mosaic photographed in Museo Archaeologico Naples File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1574x1018, 678 KB)alexander mosaic photographed in Museo Archaeologico Naples File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Description

One commonly held view is that the mosaic depicts the Battle of Issus (333 BC) between the forces of Alexander the Great and Darius III. Other historians state that it may also be the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC where Alexander again attempted to capture or kill Darius. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 338 BC 337 BC 336 BC 335 BC 334 BC - 333 BC - 332 BC 331 BC 330... Combatants Macedon Greek allies Persia Commanders Alexander the Great Darius III Strength 4,000 cavalry 40,000 infantry 250,000 Persian infantry, 35,000 cavalry 200 scythed chariots war elephants Casualties At least 4,200 killed and wounded About 230,000 wounded or killed In the Battle of Gaugamela (IPA... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC Years: 336 BC 335 BC 334 BC 333 BC 332 BC - 331 BC - 330 BC 329 BC...

Despite being partially ruined, the two main figures are easy to recognize. The portrait of Alexander is one of his most famous. Alexander's breastplate depicts Medusa, the famous Gorgon. The mosaic portrays Darius with a fear on his face. Oxyathres, the brother of Darius, is portrayed sacrificing himself to save the King. A relatively modern image of Medusa painted by Arnold Böcklin In Greek mythology, Medusa (Μεδουσα Queen), was a monstrous female character whose gaze could turn people to stone. ... In Greek mythology, the Gorgons (terrible or, according to some, loud-roaring) were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. ... Oxyathres (in Greek Oξυαθρης; in Old Persian VaxÅ¡uvarda; lived 4th century BC) was a brother of the Persian king Darius III Codomannus. ...

According to different theories, the mosaic may be a copy of a painting contemporary to Alexander by an artist Apelles or a copy of an otherwise lost fresco from the fourth century BC by the painter Philoxenos of Eretria for the Macedonian king Cassander. Another Apelles was the founder of a Gnostic sect in the 2nd century; Apelles (theologian). ... Fresco by Dionisius representing Saint Nicholas. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 4th century BC started on January 1, 400 BC and ended on December 31, 301 BC. // Overview Events Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... Cassander (c. ...

The mosaic measures 5.82 x 3.13 m (19 ft x 10 ft 3 in). It is unusually detailed work of mosaic for a private residence and was probably commissioned by a wealthy person or family. Other theory states that it might have been originally Hellenic mosaic that was looted from Greece and carried off to Rome. Italian archaeologist Fausto Levi supports the first theory.

History of the mosaic

The mosaic was rediscovered in the House of the Faun in Pompeii on October 24, 1831. In September of 1843 it was moved to Naples, where it is currently preserved in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... Leopold I 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Country Italy Region Campania Province Naples (NA) Mayor Rosa Russo Jervolino Elevation 17 m Area 117 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 1,000,470  - Density 8,457/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Napoletani Dialing code 081 Postal code 80100 Patron Saint Januarius  - Day September...

Copy of the mosaic

In 2003 the International Center for the Study and Teaching of Mosaic (CISIM) in Ravenna, Italy, proposed to create a copy of the mosaic. When they had received approval, the mosaic master Severo Bignami and his eight-person team took a large photograph of the mosaic, made a tracing of the image with a dark marker and created a negative impression of the mosaic. Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. ...

Team composed the mosaic in sections in 44 clay frames, trying to preserve the pieces of the mosaic in the exact positions they are in the original mosaic. They had to keep the plates wet all the time. Then they pressed a tissue on the clay to create an image of the outlines of the mosaic in the clay.

Team recreated the mosaic with about 2 million pieces of various marble types. When they had placed all the pieces, they covered the result with a layer of glue and gauze and pulled it out of the clay. They places each section was on synthetic concrete and then united the sections with the compound of glasswool and plastic.

The project took 22 months and cost equivalent to U$216,000. The copy was installed on the House of the Faun in 2005.

References

• Marco Merola - Alexander Piece by Piece (Archaeology magazine January/February 2006)