10 December 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

“Mosaic of the Wine Harvest” mosaic to be exhibited in November in Turkey’s Hatay

The mosaic depicting the grape harvest, which is considered to date from the Late Roman period, equivalent to the 5th and 6th century AD, will be shown at the Hatay Archeology Museum, according to a statement issued by the museum’s directorate.

The 6-square-meter (64-square-foot) mosaic was discovered during illegal excavations in the Hassa district southern Hatay province, an area with a long history of grape cultivation, and later moved to the Hatay Archaeological Museum’s warehouse in 2016.

After six months of restoration, the mosaic was moved to the temporary exhibition hall of the museum under the name “Mosaic of the Vine Harvest.”

The mosaic, made ready for display with its illustrations of grapes, which had an important place in agricultural activities in the late Roman period, will be introduced to local and foreign tourists.

A close-up of the Mosaic of the Vine Harvest at the Hatay Archeological Museum, Hatay, southern Turkey. Photo: AA
A close-up of the Mosaic of the Vine Harvest at the Hatay Archeological Museum, Hatay, southern Turkey. Photo: AA

Ayşe Ersoy, director of the Hatay Archaeological Museum, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the artifact was found as the floor mosaic of a church.

She said the work has been kept in the museum’s warehouse for about five years.

“A grape harvest is depicted on it. It reflects the grapes carried in a donkey’s basket by a Roman. From this mosaic, we see that grapes had a very important place in the economy and as a food source in our district of Hassa in those years.”

“Our mosaic comes to the fore every year during the grape harvest in our Hassa. Based on this, we wanted to introduce it to the visitors. As part of our project ‘The Traces of Olives and Grapes Engraved in History Come to Light,’ the importance of olives in the Hatay region and their spread to Anatolia and Europe as well as the importance of grapes for our province will be explained in our temporary exhibition hall,” Ersoy added.

A close-up of the Mosaic of the Vine Harvest at the Hatay Archeological Museum, Hatay, southern Turkey. Photo: AA
A close-up of the Mosaic of the Vine Harvest at the Hatay Archeological Museum, Hatay, southern Turkey. Photo: AA

Ersoy, who said the “Mosaic of Vine Harvest” was made ready for display after six months of long and meticulous work, noted that a copy of an olive mosaic found during the excavations in the ancient city of Epiphaneia is also located in the temporary exhibition hall.

Emphasizing that they are eagerly waiting to welcome visitors, Ersoy said: “Actually, our hall was scheduled to open in September, but unfortunately, we could not meet that date. I hope our mosaic will be showcased to visitors in November.”

“It’s going to be a big opening. It is a very important hall. In particular, the people of the Mazbanlı neighborhood will be brought here to draw attention to the importance and value given to ancient artifacts and to provide them with a tour of the artifact and our museum.”

Related Articles

Unique 2700-year-old mosaics unearthed in illegal excavations

17 November 2021

17 November 2021

Two 2700-year-old mosaics, which are thought to belong to a Roman rich man and symbolize magnificence, were found in a...

3D virtual reconstruction of the Celtic city gate

2 May 2022

2 May 2022

A new 3D virtual reconstruction of the Celtic gate has been made in Staffelberg, in the German state of Bavaria....

An architectural gem from the medieval monastery of Posa, Germany

26 July 2023

26 July 2023

Archaeological excavations have been taking place on the Posaer Berg (Posa Hill) near Zeitz (Burgenland) every year since 2017. They...

An unknown human group is revealed in a 7,200-year-old skeleton discovered in Indonesia

27 August 2021

27 August 2021

According to a study released this week, archaeologists uncovered the bones of a 7,200-year-old skeleton from a female hunter-gatherer in...

Pandemics Determined the Fate of Wars in Ancient Times

7 April 2021

7 April 2021

Epidemics have been one of the factors affecting the fate of wars throughout history. Epidemics have sometimes turned the fate...

Life continues in Iran’s 12,000-year-old settlement “Meymand village”

8 February 2022

8 February 2022

At the south-eastern Iranian province of Kerman near Shahr-Babak city, there is a village dating back to the Stone Age....

Artifacts for sale offered at a Dutch auction house returned to Peru

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

The Dutch government announced in a press release today that the artifacts that were put up for sale at an...

Evil-Wisher Well: Ancient curse tablets 2,500-year-old found in a well in Athens

14 July 2022

14 July 2022

30 ancient curse tablets were found at the bottom of a 2500-year-old well in ancient Athens. In 2020, Archaeologists from...

Samen Underground City Getting Prepared for Public Visits

6 June 2021

6 June 2021

Samen Underground City is a unique structure in Iran and the extent of such a structure has not been observed...

A basement discovered on the premises of the ruins of Hitoyoshi Castle in Japan could be a Jewish bathing facility!

7 December 2022

7 December 2022

Experts are still indecisive about why there was a bathing area in the basement which was discovered on the site...

6,000-year-old island settlement found off the Croatian coast

24 June 2021

24 June 2021

Archaeologist Mate Parica, a professor at the University of Zadar, noticed something unusual while examining satellite images of Croatia‘s coastline....

1,800-Year-Old Sanctuary to Mithras discovered in Spain

8 February 2023

8 February 2023

Archaeologists excavating at Villa del Mitra in Cabra, Spain, have uncovered a sanctuary dedicated to the god Mithras, along with...

5,000 years old Mother Goddess statuette unearthed in Yeşilova Mound

25 October 2023

25 October 2023

A Mother Goddess statuette, determined to be 5 thousand years old, was found during the excavations carried out in the...

1000-year-old Cats and Babies mummies of Turkey’s

30 March 2022

30 March 2022

Cat, baby, and adult mummies in Aksaray, which took its place in history as Cappadocia’s gateway to the west on...

Female pharaoh’s temple reveals teamwork of Egypt’s ‘ancient masters’

18 November 2021

18 November 2021

Despite the widely acknowledged monumentality and durability of ancient Egyptian sculpture, carved reliefs, and paintings the makers of these works...