Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - In 2007 during illegal excavations, the Roman and Byzantine era beautiful mosaics were accidentally found and this event led to the discovery of a lost ancient city of Germanicia lying beneath the modern city of Kahramanmaraş, a Mediterranean province of southern Turkey. The place is also known as Maras.
About 20 different mosaics were revealed during the excavations.
Germanicia mosaics that were created by ancient artists have a unique style, diversity of depicted figures and patterns. Since ancient times, people have used mosaics as a decoration technique. Depending on the region and on the period, this art developed in many different ways. Social life in the era was featured by mosaics, which covered the floors in the late Roman era.
Although Germanicia was established in the 1st century A.D., the researchers could only access and find the mosaics and ruins of the city dating to the 4th and 6th centuries.
The mosaics have the highest quality and depict daily life and hunting animal figures, and as the studies showed the mosaics belonged to Roman villas inhabited by the local elite and military officials.
Two new mosaic areas, which were unearthed during the excavations in the ancient city of Germanicia, and now approximately 300 square meters of mosaics, depicting the religion, social life, and daily life of the period, as well as plant and geometric shapes, are waiting for tourists.
“In 2019, with the cooperation of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism and the Investment Monitoring and Coordination Directorate (YIKOP) and the support received from the Eastern Mediterranean Development Agency, the necessary studies for mosaic layers in two separate areas were completed.
"The roof covering system, camera systems, walkways, and viewing platforms, restoration works, and landscaping were ready in August, and two more archaeological sites were opened free of charge in addition to the first site,” Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Seydihan Küçükdağlı told the state-run Anadolu Agency.
See also:
2,000-Year-Old Medusa Mosaic Is Considered The Pearl Of Ancient City Of Kibyra
Mosaics With Oceanus And Medusa In Tomb Of Ancient City Of Perge, Turkey
Wonderful Ancient Mosaics In Ancient City Of Zeugma, Turkey
"Each mosaic layer unearthed will be brought into tourism in the same way. The mosaics dating back to the Roman city of Germanicia in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. were unearthed during archaeological works. These works are very important because the mosaics are world cultural heritage and it is necessary to protect them. Mosaics will contribute to Kahramanmaraş’s cultural tourism and academic studies of experts,” writes Hurriyet Daily News.
Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer
