Interdisciplinary lessons in History and Art on the topic: "Mosaics in Roman Culture."
by Susanna Werner & René Reiter
In history, 05D deals with Greek culture, exemplified by the themes of the representation of Greek myths and events, such as the Olympic Games. The 06D deals with life in ancient Rome. The focus is on the thermal baths and gladiator fights. Original mosaics were used to show how gladiator fights took place.
In art class, the different representations of mosaics and how they are constructed were discussed.
One technique is to create a mosaic with uniform pebbles, without processing.
Later, the Romans used square stones that were arranged in a staggered manner. These works are called Opus Tessellatum (Work Square).
With the advancement of craft techniques, stones began to be cut to fit, creating a cut image called the Opus Sectile (cut work).
The students chose a technique with which to create a paper mosaic. Each type required a slightly different working technique, but a precise and concentrated work was necessary in all mosaic techniques, which the students accomplished with bravura.
The students were able to recognize that works of art are an important source for history lessons and that historical knowledge is also a prerequisite for creatively designing works of art.
