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Medieval, 13th century AD From Byland Abbey, N Yorkshire, England
Pattern
Mosaic tiles
Mosaic is the art of making pictures or patterns using many small coloured pieces of glass or tile. The ancient Mesopotamians made mosaic decorations about 4000 years ago, and the Romans were well known for their beautiful mosaic floors.
This floor is from a medieval abbey in Yorkshire, England, where Cistercian or 'white' monks lived and worshipped. It uses 384 tiles of different shapes in a repeating pattern. When first made, the tiles were glazed dark green and yellow but some of the mosaic has been lost.