Massive Roman Mosaic Uncovered in Southern Turkey

Posted on September 13, 2012

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln archaeological team has uncovered a massive Roman mosaic in southern Turkey. The 1,600-square-foot mosaic was meticulously crafted. The mosaic was part of a Roman bath. The decoration includes large squares filled with different colored geometric designs. The researchers have only uncovered 40% of the total surface area of the mosaic so far.

Michael Hoff, Hixson-Lied professor of art history at UNL and the director of the excavation, said in the announcement, "Its size signals, in no small part, that the outward signs of the empire were very strong in this far-flung area. We were surprised to have found a mosaic of such size and of such caliber in this region - it's an area that had usually been off the radar screens of most ancient historians and archeologists, and suddenly this mosaic comes into view and causes us to change our focus about what we think (the region) was like in antiquity."

Hoff's research team has been excavating the remains of the ancient city of Antiochia ad Cragum on the southern Turkish coast. Antiochus of Commagene was a client-king of Rome who founded the city in the middle of the first century.

Hoff says the mosaic served as a forecourt for a large bath. He says evidence shows a roof covered the geometric squares, which was supported by pillars. The baths also contained a 25-foot-long pool opened to the sun. The researchers plan to uncover the rest of the mosaic next summer.

ARCHAEOLOGY