Answer: The ideal answer should include:
1. To create a work in mosaic, small pieces of stone, glass, or tile, called tesserae, are arranged in a pattern or image.
2. Byzantine artists wanted to create a symbolic, mystical art.
3. Gold mosaic could be made by sandwiching gold leaf between two small squares of glass, and polished glass was also used.
4. Tesserae could be set unevenly, at different angles, to create a shimmering, transcendent effect, heightened by the light from the church windows.