Painting in Ancient Greece

The ancient Greeks enjoyed brightly painted items. Evidence suggests that most of their marble statues were originally painted; however, the paint has worn off the few statues that have survived. Greeks also decorated walls with fresco paintings. Fresco painting mixed paint with wet plaster to make a wall mural. There are a very limited number of wall paintings that have survived from early Greek times.

Greeks also used tiles and rocks of different colors to create floor mosaics. One mosaic found at Olynthus reportedly cost 3,500 drachmas, or the equivalent of ten years of wages for the average worker. Because of the great expense, mosaic floors were only used by the wealthiest of Greeks.