Ptolemaic roundel from a mosaic floor decorated with a dog and a gilded askos, from Alexandria, Egypt, c. 200-150 BC

Excavated from the grounds of the New Alexandria Library in 1993, this Ptolemaic mosaic from Hellenistic Egypt, dated between 200 - 150 BC, is now located in the Greco-Roman Museum of Alexandria, Egypt. While it is slightly damaged at the center with cracks and fragmentary along the sides (surrounded by a grey lion-head motif), this mosaic depicts a realistic scene of a male dog with a gilded metal askos vessel (for containing water or wine) with looped handles lying nearby. The rich variety of colored tesserae pieces adds depth, lighting, and shading to the scene similar to Hellenistic Greek paintings of the time period. It could represent a household owner's pet, or perhaps it implies a domestic banquet had occurred and the askos has been emptied for the occasion.