There was a style of mosaic in ancient Rome that mimicked trash-strewn floors
The Romans were a great people, and fortunately, several records survive of their art and culture. An example of how skilled Roman artisans were are the decorative mosaics that remain in the few Roman buildings that still stand today. The Romans were big fans of mosaics.
This little mouse is part of a bigger mural that followed a common motif for mosaics called “the unswept floor.” This type of mosaic included depictions of food remains such as bones, olive pits, and fruit rinds, strewn about the floor as if they had gone “unswept” after a feast. You can see here that the animal is running towards a nutshell, probably to take to its nest.