Mosaic Floor with Achilles and Briseis

Although quite fragmentary, enough remains of the scene depicted in this floor mosaic to identify it as one of the earliest episodes from Homer’s Iliad (Book 1, lines 409-415): the moment when Briseis, the enslaved concubine of the hero Achilles, is taken from him to be given instead to Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. This contest between two great Greek warriors set in motion the rest of Homer's epic poem. The mosaic shows Briseis being led away by two heralds on the right, Talthybios and Eurybates, who wear traveler’s hats and carry staffs. Only her face remains intact. Achilles, holding a lyre and seated next to his companion Patroclus, watches morosely from the far left. The older, bearded man may be Achilles’s tutor, Phoenix. The scene takes place in a tent; in the background are two shields holding up a curtain. The same subject is depicted in additional mosaics, as well as wall paintings and other media, attesting to its popularity in Roman art.

The Romans used mosaics made from tesserae (tiny cubes of stone or glass set into a bed of mortar) to cover the floors in wealthy private homes and public buildings. Roman mosaics show strong regional differences. Based on stylistic comparisons, this example appears to have originated near the city of Antioch (present-day Antakya, Turkey) where two similar mosaics were discovered.