During the first centuries of the Empire, Tarraco took on the aspect of a grand provincial capital.

Parallel to the construction of the main public buildings, numerous urban villas were built. The mosaics on display in this room come mainly from Roman dwellings in the area known as the Pedrera del Port (the Port Quarry).

The first-known pavings in Tarragona were of opus signinum. Shortly afterwards white and black and white mosaic tiles became fashionable. Over time these developed into an elaborate Baroque-style with many ornate details. At the beginning of the 3rd century AD polychromatic mosaics replaced this style.

The crisis of the 3rd century and the Germanic invasions severely affected the production of mosaics in Tàrraco.

From this time, the craftsmen mainly worked on the decoration of the luxurious villas on the outskirts of the capital, such as the villa of Parets-Delgades.