Archaeologists unearthed a 2,200-year-old mosaic and 1,800-year-old tomb Türkiye’s Assos
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Reported by Turkiye Today:
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Assos in Türkiye’s Canakkale province have uncovered a 2,200-year-old mosaic and a 1,800-year-old monumental tomb, offering fresh insights into the region’s Hellenistic and Roman past.
Professor Nurettin Arslan, head of the Assos excavation team and a faculty member at Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, announced the discoveries that were made during the 44th excavation season. The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and sponsored by Istanbul Steel and Iron Industries Inc. (ICDAS).
The mosaic, dating back to the Hellenistic period, is composed of colorful polygonal stones arranged in geometric and floral motifs.
“This mosaic is among the earliest examples from the Hellenistic period in Anatolia and is believed to have been part of a gymnasium,” Arslan explained. “In later centuries, the structure was repurposed as a residential area during the Byzantine era.”
A second major discovery, a 1,800-year-old tomb, was unearthed in the eastern section of the agora. Initially thought to be a fountain, the structure was later identified as a “heroon,” a monumental tomb dedicated to an influential family from Roman-era Assos.
“This tomb provides crucial information about the elite families who lived in Assos during Roman times,” Arslan noted.
Read more here.
Always like to hear of new archaeological discoveries.
It is such a crying shame that the 20th-century narrative has destroyed that timeless sunwheel (or tetra-gammadion or hooked cross or, dare I say, swastika) symbol of ours, from prehistoric European/Yamnaya culture. Here it is, dug up from Classical Antiquity once again for the thousandth time. The sunwheel motif wraps all around the Ara Pacis! This symbol needs to be taken back as something “bad” to something quite normal & commonplace in Western-European culture.