Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

A detail of Alexander the Great and his horse Bucephalus on the large mosaic showing the battle of Issus where, in 333 BC, Alexander defeated the Persian ruler Darius III.  One the Greek soldiers and the head of his horse are visible behind, to the left of, Alexander.  The individual tessera of the mosaic are visible.


This mosaic was found in the second reception hall, Exedra/tablinum, in the House of the Faun at Pompeii.  This mosaic has almost one million tesserae.  It measures 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m) x 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m).  It depicts the battle between Alexander the Great and the Persia rules, Darius III, in 333 BC at the site of Issus.