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Specially manufactured pieces called tesserae were first used in the eight century B.C. These pieces gave extra detail and range of color to the relatively plain mosaic work which was prominent in the earlier centuries. Pompeii famous works of art were done by Greek artists.The mosaic showing the god Neptune with Amphitrite on the right is in Herculaneum, Italy. It is a wall mosaic which uses pieces of glass to give the vivid colors and to reflect light. In this Mosaic the tesserae were mainly small cubes of marble or other stone. Sometimes bits of pottery, such as terra-cotta, brick were used to provide a range of colors. The expansion of the Roman Empire made mosaic more popular . Roman Mosaic art usually focused on Gods, domestic themes and geometric designs. With the rise of the Byzantine Empire from the fifth century to near two hundred years the art form focused on the Byzantium. This involved Oriental influences in style and the use of special glass tesserae called sm