The asàrotos òikos Mosaic as an Elite Status Symbol

Abstract

This is article focuses on the asarotos oikos theme in roman mosaics, and aims at exploring the social signi cance these depictions have held during the late Imperial age, and their relation to the proceedings of the banquet. is study suggests that disguised symbolism and erudite references rest behind the representation of these seemingly daily objects, which could only be fully understood by members of the Roman cultural elite, who possessed the proper education for the task. e mosaic served as a starting point for the elitist practice of an erudite discourse and as a reminder of the brevity of life.

Keywords

• asàrotos òikos
• unswept oor
• roman elitist art
• Heraclitus mosaic
• roman banquet
• Sosos of Pergamon