Humongous Roman mosaic found under farmer's field in Turkey (+video)

Humongous Roman mosaic found under farmer's field in Turkey (+video)

So far, the researchers have revealed about 40 percent of the mosaic. The floor is in 'pristine' condition, and would have fronted an open-air marble swimming pool flanked by porticos.

The mosaic, which once decorated the floor of a bath complex, abuts a 25-foot (7-meter)-long pool, which would have been open to the air, said Michael Hoff, a University of Nebraska, Lincoln art historian and director of the mosaic excavation. The find likely dates to the third or fourth century, Hoff said. The mosaic itself is an astonishing 1,600 square feet (149 square meters) — the size of a modest family home.

"To be honest, I was completely bowled over that the mosaic is that big," Hoff told LiveScience.

I found this to be a cool story. They've only excavated about 50% so far. But it seems to be almost complete and very well preserved considering it's about 2,000 years old. I can't wait to see the whole thing. Here is the video.

Enjoy

Great post.......

Wow, what a brilliant find, all those years of history and all those feet that have trod on that mosaic...

What a beautiful piece of Roman tile work.......

Awesome.............

Id hate to imagine the destruction of our past history that would ensue in a war scenario anywhere in the middle east......But a general war the size of what is comming is unimaginable opportunity to erase forever so many vignettes of our beginnings.....The destruction and looting to date in Iraq alone is un- countable at this time....
Further warfare could anihalate sites all over ............not to denegrate the human losses......but this is ancient history talking here......

reply to post by davethebear


Whats amazing to me is that the more I see Roman designs and architecture the more I realize they really did have their act together.

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by davethebear

 

Whats amazing to me is that the more I see Roman designs and architecture the more I realize they really did have their act together.

They certainly did have their act together, they didn't just accept any old crap did they............they were the best and they got the best.....................I was in Rome a few years ago the place just blew me away...the Colosseum, now that is just majestic, you can walk around it and it is mostly still standing after 2,000 years..........awesome..

reply to post by SLAYER69



Maybe it was some rich Roman Senators getaway?

Or some Praetors?


Very beautiful indeed.
Would love for someone to actually copy it , at their expense, and have them make it for me.




Obviously, Romes tentacles stretched everywhere.

S&F

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by davethebear

 

Whats amazing to me is that the more I see Roman designs and architecture the more I realize they really did have their act together.

What is amazing is the fact that what we do know of the roman empire only scratches the surface of what was there, Whole sections of history is just gone, lost in things like the Burning of the Library of Alexandria.

Hot and cold running water (even if they did miss a bit with the lead pipes), modern sanitation, etc are just a bit of what they had, things like that gear device they found awhile ago may have been more common place than we will ever know.

In the video does it look like a pyramid in the back ground or is it just an optical illusion hmmmm

They should look around that area a bit more there may be lots more to find it's in these kinds of places where great finds are found.
Would love them to find the Ark of the Covenant there or some other mithical treasure like that.

Great find slayer S&F

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by davethebear

 

Whats amazing to me is that the more I see Roman designs and architecture the more I realize they really did have their act together.

And then some. Beautiful architecture, cement, underwater cement, breakwaters, harbours, aquaducts, viaducts and it just goes on and on.

And what is even more amazing is the Legions could do and did all of these things, never mind the artisans, etc.

reply to post by SLAYER69


That's a great find Slayer. The Roman use of Solomons Knot in this has certainly played out well here - eternal indeed (well not quite but you get my drift). Being an Art fan, I really like the 3D rectangular blocks they used back then as well - I'm a little surprised we don't see swastikas - usually prevalent with both the links and 3D symbols of the period - perhaps yet to be uncovered.




S&F

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by davethebear

 

Whats amazing to me is that the more I see Roman designs and architecture the more I realize they really did have their act together.

Yes, and if you look a bit closer. They got "exterminated" by a bunch of religious fanatics, and barbarous traitors.

Sorta sounds like a modern cliche to me.

Originally posted by benrl

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by davethebear

 

Whats amazing to me is that the more I see Roman designs and architecture the more I realize they really did have their act together.

Hot and cold running water (even if they did miss a bit with the lead pipes), modern sanitation, etc are just a bit of what they had, things like that gear device they found awhile ago may have been more common place than we will ever know.

why is it all i can think of is monty python and "but what have the romans ever done for us"

reply to post by SLAYER69


The mosaic could be Byzantine... right? They were the last "Romans" and held many greek and roman traditions until they were destroyed by the Ottoman Empire. I don't have time to read the article, do the have an assumed date?

Originally posted by Sublimecraft
I'm a little surprised we don't see swastikas

I see swastikas...
(not stand-alone, but embedded into the mosaics)

In the mosaics at top and at the bottom of this image:
newsroom.unl.edu...

More hi-res pictures and infos here:
newsroom.unl.edu...

reply to post by SLAYER69


Man there's roman ruins all over that region buried under God alone knows what. The only things that survived were the things that were buried, just about everything else that stood as a structure was taken down to build other towns and homes or outright destroyed in earthquakes or wars. Their highways are still being discovered buried under farmer's fields in Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Germany. They didn't screw around when they made highways.

Originally posted by grobi77

Originally posted by Sublimecraft
I'm a little surprised we don't see swastikas

I see swastikas...
(not stand-alone, but embedded into the mosaics)

In the mosaics at top and at the bottom of this image:
newsroom.unl.edu...

edit on 19.9.2012 by grobi77 because: (no reason given)

Swastikas did not originate with Nazi germany. The swastika means "fortune", it's the symbol of the semtic deity of fortune called Gad and has been sighted in China, South America and even the Pacific Northwestern U.S. and ancient Babylon as well.

reply to post by lonewolf19792000

Sure, Hitler only rotated it 45° (I hear, he did it because this way it's more dynamic)
But it didn't seem to bring him fortune

My reaction was...DUDE...

How beautiful. I've seen actual Roman mosaics before, glad there is a new find like this. Time to visit Turkey? Always wanted to go.