Cone Mosaic are the oldest type of mosaics known in the World. They were used in Southern Mesopotamia (present day Iraq) to decorate monumental raw mud-brick Palaces and Temples built between 3500 and 3000 BC.
This Cone Mosaic is formed by small cones made of baked clay which, pointed end first, were pressed tightly together into a wall coated with a thick layer of wet plaster. The flat ends of the cones were painted black, red, and white.
Some of the most impressive examples are found at Uruk but this technique of decoration has also been found in many other cities such as Ur and Eridu as well as sites like Habuba Kabira in modern Syria.
The decorative patterns generally basic geometric shapes : lozenges, triangles, and straight and zigzag bands.
It has been suggested that such designs were possibly based on patterns found in wickerwork and on textiles.
Such work was not only decorative but protective. The cones made of hard baked clay were protecting the raw mud-brick outer walls and pillars against erosion from wind and water during the cool and wet winters of Mesopotamia.
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