How different does this mosaic look to you when it is on the floor? Does it look distorted at all?
Is your eye drawn to a new place — is the focus on a different area?
Floor mosaics have a long history. They emerged with different degrees of popularity throughout the expanding Roman Empire, utilizing the tile floor as a canvas for elaborate and often symbolically significant designs. It should not be surprising that art emerging from Syria during this period would appear very fashionably Roman.