I have two quilt books based on Roman cathedral mosaic floors. When we visited Herculaneum last September, we watched archeological students painstakingly repairing a tile floor. Each piece was less than 2 inches across, with an intricate repeating pattern. The amount of math that went into those creations--my mind boggles!
I also drew out a pattern I noticed while walking in Sorrento. It will eventually become a quilt top.