Mosaic Floor From Roman Syria Unearthed in Turkey

An intricate ancient Syrian mosaic discovered in a ruined Roman villa has been unearthed in an area of modern Turkey on the border with the war torn country.

The flooring comprises tiny stones laid out in geometric patterns and covered an inner courtyard surrounded by columns that may have been home to wealthy Romans living in the region some 2,000 years ago.

The find is considered to be particularly valuable because it is at one of the few sites currently accessible to archaeologists studying ancient Syria, with many others from the time being destroyed.

An intricate ancient Syrian mosaic (pictured) discovered in a ruined Roman villa has been unearthed in modern Turkey. The flooring comprises tiny stones laid out in geometric patterns and covered an inner courtyard surrounded by columns that may have been home to wealthy Romans living in the region some 2,000 years ago

‘The ancient city of Doliche, which was part of the province of Syria in Roman times, lies at the fringes of the Turkish metropolis of Gaziantep today’, Professor Engelbert Winter from University of Münster explained.

‘The city is one of the few places where Syrian urban culture from the Hellenistic-Roman era can currently still be studied.’

Settlements of this kind have barely been explored and many important sites such as Apamea Cyrrhus have either been destroyed or are inaccessible because of war.

He said: ‘The situation today at the site of Apamea, one of the most important ancient cities of Syria, is particularly bad.

‘The ancient city of Doliche, which was part of the province of Syria in Roman times, lies at the fringes of the Turkish metropolis of Gaziantep today’, Professor Engelbert Winter from University of Münster explained

‘The city is one of the few places where Syrian urban culture from the Hellenistic-Roman era can currently still be studied,’ he said. A view of the urban centre of Doliche is pictured above

‘Illicit excavations, clearly visible in satellite imagery, have destroyed the entire urban area. It remains doubtful if research there will ever be possible again.

The excavations in Cyrrhus, which had recently been resumed, also had to be stopped due to the current situation.’

‘The ancient city of Antioch, which was the capital of the Roman province of Syria and lies near the Turkish metropolis of Antakya is largely inaccessible as a result of modern construction.

‘For the time being, therefore, our excavations in the city of Doliche…can provide new information about the urban culture in the ancient northern Syrian midland’, he added.

The most impressive find so far is the mosaic.

Dr Michael Blömer said: ‘The most outstanding discovery of our excavations is a high-quality mosaic floor in a splendid complex of buildings with a court enclosed by columns that originally covered more than 100 square metres.

‘Because of its size and the strict, well-composed sequence of delicate geometric patterns, the mosaic is one of the most beautiful examples of late antique mosaic art in the region.’

He said that while the building’s function is unclear, it was probably an urban villa belonging to a wealthy family.

‘These first findings already reveal the potential that the site has for further research into the environment of the urban elites and for questions as to the luxurious furnishing in urban area,’ he added.

A second group of archaeologists on a neighbouring mountain of Dülük Baba Tepesi have been examining the remains of a Roman sanctuary (pictured) where they have found many artefacts

The team of researchers is also excavating simple houses, alleys and water pipelines, which promise to give major insights into the everyday life of the people and the city’s organisation.

They plan to begin excavating public areas of the ancient city next year.

The team said: ‘We hope to obtain a reliable picture of a Northern Syrian city from the Hellenistic era to the age of the crusaders as well as a clearer picture of the material everyday culture and of local identities in this region.’

A second group of archaeologists on a neighbouring mountain of Dülük Baba Tepesi, came across an artefact depicting one of the most important gods of the Roman Iron Age – Luppiter Dolichen.

He was one of the so-called oriental gods which were based on foreign figures.

A bronze figurine of a stag (pictured) has been recovered from the site of Dülük Baba Tepesi, which is thought to date back to the early first millennium BC. The team also stumbled across a Palaeolithic site nearby

In addition to well-preserved sections of wall enclosing the Roman sanctuary for the god, they also found remains of a Christian abbey, founded on the mountaintop after the end of the heathen cult.

Artefacts collected over recent years show the site was used in the 9th and 8th centuries BC and now a bronze figurine of a stag has been recovered, which is thought to date back to the early first millennium BC.

The team also stumbled across a nearby site of a Palaeolithic settlement dating back to around 6,000BC.

Professor Winter said: ‘People settled here because there was flint from which tools were crafted.’

The team hopes to take a better look at the site, which ‘is central to the early history of humankind’.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *