The mosaics of Ravenna are rated among the world's most important art works. Their quality and blaze of colour
have intrigued believers and visitors since their making between the fifth and the seventh century. This book
investigates the issue of the meaning of this imagery, its peculiarities, and the messages conveyed to the viewers
through the centuries. It explores the function of the mosaics in the different buildings, and their interpretations
in the relevant liturgical context by people living in late Antiquity. Several comparative examples integrate the
mosaics in the frame of late Roman art. Written fluently on the basis of current state of research, the volume thus
provides valuable new insight in one of the most fascinating Sets of images of early Christian times. The mosaics
were last Subject to extensive investigation 40 years ago.
Delve into the magnificence and variety of these mosaics, the colour photographs of which were made expressly
for this book. They show the mosaics at close range and allow visual experiences that are impossible on site.