''Opus regulatum'' is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name for the normal technique of Greek and Roman

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

, made from

tesserae A tessera (plural: tesserae, diminutive ''tessella'') is an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a square, used in creating a mosaic. It is also known as an abaciscus or abaculus. Historical tesserae The oldest known tesserae ...

that are larger than about 4 mm. Tesserae are laid in a pattern like grid or graph paper. The grout lines are aligned both vertically and horizontally unlike ''

opus tessellatum ''Opus tessellatum'' is the Latin name for the normal technique of Greek and Roman mosaic, made from tesserae that are larger than about 4 mm. It is distinguished from the finer ''opus vermiculatum'' which used tiny ''tesserae'', typically cubes ...

'', which consists of either horizontally or vertically aligned tesserae. It is useful in creating geometric patterns or for a background.

References

See also