Mosaic fragment ca. 3rd-7th century A.D. Sasanian Written sources state that in 540, the Sasanian emperor Khusraw I (r. 531-79) decorated his palace at Ctesiphon with mosaics commemorating the Sasanian army's siege of the Byzantine city of Antioch. Excavations at the site uncovered fragments of mosaics with vibrant colors and gilding in the palace precinct. The use of a medium associated with Byzantine imperial architecture at the Sasanian capital is an example of the complex cultural and political exchanges made between the two empires.. Mosaic fragment 322774