Yeah, those floors were tough, too; in some parts of the empire there was a sort of crawl space (for heating) and the floors were supported on stacks of broken pottery or flagstones, anything that would level up the floor and not get in the way of the circulation of hot air. Even those floors have preserved some of these mosaics. Of course, if was saw the interiors of these homes back when they were new, we’d probably say, tacky, gaudy, tasteless. :’)
It's those nouveau riche types, who make a fortune on the trade in Persian indigo and Athenian pottery. One has a villa out our way, even the roof is in bright colours ... ridiculous. I hope Caesar sends his tax collectors after them ...