Jutta Weiland unveils the meaning of the great mosaic cycles of Ravenna’s monuments, their specific functions and their liturgical contexts. There is no other city as clearly moulded by the Early Christian era as the city of Ravenna. Its Early Christian mosaics, which were realized between the fifth and seventh century, are among the most important art monuments in the world and designated as World Heritage by UNESCO. Although there are numerous studies on Early Christian Ravenna, the iconography of the mosaics and their context in Early Christian art have not been studied extensively yet. This volume enquires into the meaning of the images as such but also into their special function in the buildings and in their liturgical contexts. It examines the interpretations given to the images by the people who made, saw and contemplated them in Late Antiquity. The aim of this volume is to give fresh and deeper insight into one of the most fascinating complexes of the Early Christian world.