9 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1,500-year-old feast mosaic found in Turkey

A 50-square-meter mosaic depicting an open-air feast dating back 1,500 years ago was unearthed during excavations in the ancient city of Germanicia in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş. The mosaic, which features a portrayal of three women dancing to music, is believed to depict a pre-hunt open-air banquet.

The seventh stage of archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Germanicia in the Bağlarbaşı district has come to an end.

During the excavations, the remains of 1,500-year-old architectural structures, baths, and mosaics were found.

Several archeologists work to carefully unearth the mosaics found at the ancient city of Germanicia, Turkey.
Several archeologists work to carefully unearth the mosaics found in the ancient city of Germanicia, Turkey. Photo: DHA

Kahramanmaraş Museum Director Safinaz Acıpayam stated that within the borders of the ancient city, archaeological remains have been identified in 35 different areas so far, and archaeological digs in seven of these areas have been carried out under the presidency of the Kahramanmaraş Museum Directorate.

“We had previously found a mosaic consisting of two panels and depicting hunting scenes in Germanicia in 2015,” Acıpayam said.

ancient city of Germanicia, Turkey
Photo: DHA

“The newly discovered mosaic is actually a continuation of the mosaic unearthed in 2015. We think it depicts an open-air banquet probably held before the hunt,” she said.

“There are two couples sitting in the center of the mosaic. While three women dance to music, two male figures in the field make presentations. There is also the figure of a little barefoot boy climbing a fig tree,” Acıpayam explained.

A mosaic depicting people dancing, playing music, at the ancient city of Germanicia, Turkey.
A mosaic depicting people dancing, playing music, at the ancient city of Germanicia, Turkey. Photo: DHA

Stating that the excavations will continue in the area where the mosaic is located, Acıpayam said: “Excavations have not been carried out in the entire area yet. We plan to continue the excavations in the same area in 2022.”

“At the end of 2022, we plan to open the area where the excavations were carried out in line with the permission from our General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums.”

Germanicia ancient city
Photo: DHA

The ancient city of Germanicia was discovered in 2007 during illegal excavations.

The expropriation works were carried out for the ancient city in 2008, and excavation and preservation efforts were launched in 2009.

Related Articles

An inscription written in both runic and Latin script on a church wall in Denmark turned out to be still a legally significant promissory note

31 May 2023

31 May 2023

An inscription in both runic and Latin script on a church wall in Denmark turned out to be legally valid...

2,000-year-old Monumental Tomb of Roman Elite discovered in Apollon Smintheus sanctuary in Türkiye

2 January 2024

2 January 2024

A 2,000-year-old monumental tomb from the Roman era has been unearthed at the Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary in the village of...

A cemetery belonging to 54 children was found during the excavation in the old quarry in Diyarbakır, Türkiye

4 January 2024

4 January 2024

During the archaeological excavation carried out in the area considered to be an old quarry in the Kulp district of...

Terracotta Figurines of the ancient cult of the goddess Cybele discovered in Pompeii Domus

26 December 2023

26 December 2023

Archaeologists unearthed 13 terracotta figurines during recent excavations in the Domus adjacent to the “House of Leda and the Swan”...

700-Year-Old Lord Vishnu’s Sculpture Washes Ashore on Pedda Rushikonda Beach

23 March 2025

23 March 2025

On a serene Friday evening, the tranquil shores of Pedda Rushikonda beach were disrupted by an extraordinary sight: a centuries-old...

Seven metal detectorists found 2,584 silver coins in a southwest England field “the most expensive treasure ever found in the United Kingdom”

27 October 2024

27 October 2024

In early 2019, seven metal detectorists found a cache of 2,584 silver coins dating to the Norman Conquest that had...

Detectorist Finds 2,500-Year-Old Unique Bronze Brooch

26 August 2024

26 August 2024

A metal detectorist, who chose to remain anonymous, uncovered three artifacts, including a massive fibula, i.e. a bronze brooch dating...

The World’s Oldest Smiling Water Flask with Emoji will be on display

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, the Late Hittite States was established in Anatolia and Syria. One of these...

Ancient city “Germanicia” lost in 73 years

8 July 2021

8 July 2021

The presence of the ancient city of Germanicia, discovered during an illegal excavation in the southeast Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş...

The International Congress of Hittitology will be held in Istanbul for the first time in its history

29 December 2021

29 December 2021

The International Congress of Hittitology, which has been held every three years since 1990, was postponed for one year due...

‘Miniature Pompeii’ found beneath Astra cinema in Verona

15 June 2021

15 June 2021

Archaeologists have uncovered a “miniature Pompeii” in the shape of a well-preserved ancient edifice near Verona, Italy. An old Roman...

Archeologists in Peru find a 1,000-year-old adolescent mummy wrapped in bundle

25 April 2023

25 April 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed a more than 1,000-year-old mummy on the outskirts of Peru’s capital, Lima. The mummified adolescent was wrapped...

A 2000-year-old bronze military diploma was discovered in Turkey’s Perre ancient city

2 January 2022

2 January 2022

During excavations in the ancient city of Perre, located in the southeastern Turkish province of Adiyaman, archaeologists uncovered a bronze...

A Unique Discovery in Europe: Ancient Stone Circles Cover 2,800-Year-Old Graves of Children in Norway

29 June 2024

29 June 2024

Archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo discovered an unknown burial site in a quarry near Fredrikstad, in...

Uncovering the ritual past of ancient mustatils: Cult, herding, and ‘pilgrimage’ in the Late Neolithic of north-west Arabia

16 March 2023

16 March 2023

Mustatils—stone monuments from the Late Neolithic period thought to have been used for ritual purposes—have been the subject of new...