A mosaic is a picture made by pressing tiny pieces of stone, glass, or pottery — called tesserae — into soft plaster. Roman artists were extraordinarily skilled at making the tiny tiles blend together into detailed pictures of people, animals, and swirling patterns. The craftspeople who made the Paphos mosaics were among the best in the whole Roman Empire.
The floors were part of grand private homes called villas, where wealthy Romans lived. Imagine having a painting on your floor instead of your wall! The pictures tell stories from Greek and Roman mythology — you can see the god Dionysus riding a leopard, and Narcissus gazing at himself in a pool. Each scene is like a storybook spread across the ground.
Today the mosaics are protected under modern roofed shelters so visitors can walk above them on raised walkways. The site is called the Paphos Archaeological Park. New sections are still being discovered by archaeologists digging carefully with small brushes and tools. There may be many more beautiful floors yet to be found.