The article is specifically concerned with the early Christian floor mosaics in the eastern Adriatic area. These mosaics were made in the period between the late Ancient Times and the early Middle Ages and as such offer interesting and rich material. In their conception in the first part of this period--4th cent. which is almost identical with that of the late Ancient Times at the turn of the 4th into the 5th century they manifest a high degree of independence which is to be seen in the composition of mosaic surfaces. The emblem is no longer used, numerous small rugs forming a bigger whole are arranged in successive lines, the side naves have a unified design, and the apse has a decoration of its own (Murasinac). In the course of the 6th century there occurred in the West new changes in the composition of the mosaic pavements and this did not fail to exercise a certain influence. The new conception manifests itself in the singling out of the band along the central nave; this band has a simple patter, and with the accentuation of the East-West direction the nave no longer has its satic calm but obtains an endless view westward. The simple pattern of the band also helps to bring out the axial rosette with the inscription. The strict geometrical figures of the 4th century are now framed by braids (Salonica--consignatorium, Marusinac, the cathedral in Pula). The incentive for this kind of solution came first from the eastern Mediterranean area where in the 4th and 5th centuries the braid was exclusively used for framing decorative figures. However, the more conservative local workshops preserved the old design of geometrical figures with no braids (Salonica-- basilica Discoperta, St. Felicitas in Pula).