2,000-Year-Old Greek Mosaics Recently Excavated in Turkey

Archeologist Kutalmış Görkay and his team recently uncovered three ancient Greek mosaics in the city of Zeugma, Turkey near the Syrian border. The remarkably intact glass mosaics date back to the 2nd century BC.

Take a closer look at this amazing find.

Greek art like this hasn't been seen in thousands of years.

Rich mosaics with characters from ancient Greek mythology

“They were a product of the patron’s imagination. It wasn’t like simply choosing from a catalog,” Kutalmış Görkay said.

Fearing that these ancient Greek treasures would be lost forever, the team rushed to excavate, protect and conserve these wonderful relics of the past.

The Greeks first called this city “Seleucia” in Turkey when they founded it in the 3rd century BC.

When the Romans conquered Seleucia in 64 BC, they changed the city's name to Zeugma, which means “bridge” or “crossing” in ancient Greek.

Zeugma was under Roman ruling until 253 AD when the Persians took the city.

The images below are Oceanus, the divine personification of the sea, and Tethys, the embodiment of the waters of the world.

Thalia, the Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry

Poseidon, the god of the sea, on his war chariot

An aerial view of the excavation