Visitors Now:
Total Visits:
Total Stories:
Profile image
Story Views

Now:
Last Hour:
Last 24 Hours:
Total:

Huge Roman Mosaic Found in Turkey (Video)

Thursday, September 20, 2012 2:30
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

(Before It's News)

 

Part of a mosaic adjoining a large Roman bath has been uncovered on the southern Turkish coast, and is thought to be the largest such artwork in the region.

About 60 people helped excavate the 1,600-square-foot section of mosaic, which is estimated to be only 40 percent of its whole area. It is made up of large squares, each containing a unique geometric design in different colors.

“Its size signals, in no small part, that the outward signs of the empire were very strong in this far-flung area,” said excavation director Michael Hoff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in a press release.

“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.”

The decoration is part of what was once the city of Antiochia ad Cragum, which was founded in the first century by a Roman patron called Antiochus of Commagene.

The findings show that the city was more Romanized that realized. Its economy was based on agriculture, particularly wine and lumber, and it had some other Roman features like temples and colonnaded streets.

The mosaic seems to have been the bath’s forecourt with a roof covering it at least on one side where the remains of piers have been found.

The middle of the mosaic featured a marble-lined, 25-foot-long outdoor pool. The remaining half is expected to contain the same type of decoration, and will be unearthed next year.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EpochTimesSci & Youtube: www.youtube.com/EpochTimesSci

Please send any feedback to [email protected]



Source:

Report abuse

Comments

Your Comments
Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

Top Stories
Recent Stories

Register

Newsletter

Email this story
Email this story

If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.