BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Elegant Mosaics Discovered in Izmir

Bible and archaeology news

An urban archaeological investigation in Izmir has uncovered a stunning collection of 1700-year-old mosaics. The artworks, which depict flora and fauna no longer local to the region, have been discovered in six separate rooms in a late Roman or Byzantine villa complex.

The nearly 6000-square-foot complex is located within Izmir, a large city in western Turkey near the Mediterranean coast. Turkish archaeologists are enthusiastic about the discoveries, calling the newly uncovered complex the “Zeugma of the West,” referencing Roman mosaic discoveries in southeastern Turkey that prompted the recent opening of the world’s largest mosaic museum.

Excavation director Osman Murat Süslü told Hurriyet Daily News, “The mosaics are decorated with animal and plant figures that you cannot see anywhere today. They created the Anatolian panther, the Anatolian tiger as well as a partridge and a rabbit. They are decorated with completely natural stones. You can see various shades of red, blue and green. There is a rich archaeological structuring in the region.”