In Turkey, archaeologists uncovered a unique 2,400 year-old ancient Greek mosaic, excavated in Hatay province on the Turkey-Syrian border with a message and a carving of a
“reckless skeleton” lying down with a wine pitcher and loaf of bread alongside Ancient Greek text that reads: “Be cheerful, enjoy your life” is thought to have been a part of the dining room of an upper class home.
Archaeologist Demet Kara from the Hatay Archaeology Museum, thinks that the mosaic is an artefact from the ancient Greek-Roman city of Antioch.
The 2 things that were essential among the elite in the Roman period are the bath and then dinner.
Excavations started when the first Greek mosaics were discovered in 2012 while working on cable cars. Soon the excavations started to search for more remains and the work soon began in Antakya to build cable cars, excavations were launched to search the area for more remains.
Similarly in August 2016, a rare mosaic floor that dates back to the 4th century was excavated by the team of archaeologists in Cyprus. The theme of the mosaic floor is an ancient chariot race being run by four golden chariots, each being pulled by four horses inside a hippodrome, which is an ancient Grecian stadium. The mosaic also includes some kind of dolphin-shaped fountain, a figure holding a whip and one holding a water jug, and a single man on horseback. What is more remarkable is that although these mosaics are more than a millennia old, they are still pristine in their condition.
By: Archa Dave
