Ripensare il decoro di pavimento: disposizioni e interpretazioni tra antichità e altomedievo (V-X secolo)

This contribution explores the cultural components of both ancient and Christian origin related to the production of mosaic floors in the early Middle Ages (5th-10th centuries). First, the literary legacy of Pliny the Elder will be addressed, then the texts of selected Christian authors, nominally Ambrose, Isidore of Seville, Rabanus Maurus and the Anonymous of Salerno, will be considered. These, in fact, provided a critical reading of floors and their decoration as artistic works endowed with semantic significance. Two main topics are discussed: a) the representation of the cross on floors, despite the legislative prohibitions of the Councils; b) the relations between written language and decorative choices, with the aim of providing new elements to the critical approach that enhances the complex connections between floor mosaics and their use in medieval sacred buildings