Beautiful mosaic in the ancient city

A group of international archaeologists have unearthed a beautiful glass mosaic picture and is well preserved despite being 2,200 years old. The site is located in the old city of Zeugma, Turkey.

The ancient city of Zeugma is also known as Seleukia on the Euphrates River in the province of Gaziantep today.

The city began around 300 BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, who named the city after his name. By 64 BC, the city was conquered by the Roman Empire and changed its name to Zeugma.

Glass mosaic picture - (Photo: Ankara University)

A special feature of Zeugma is that this city is located among different major cultures but no culture completely conquers it. At its peak, the city had about 80,000 inhabitants.

The city is famous for its architecture, which lasted for centuries and offers a great view of the blending of Greek and Roman civilizations on the Euphrates border.

Mosaic paintings have long been recognized for its sophistication and beauty, one of the most famous paintings is Gypsy Girl.

This year, the team was led by Ankara University professor Kutalmis Görkay unearthing three fairly intact glass mosaic paintings in the area.

Inspection shows that the painting dates to about 2,200 years ago. In the center of the picture is the goddess Muse Calliope, who inspired the inspiration of literature, science and art.

The second mosaic depicts Ocean, the embodiment of the sea god. In the painting, there is also a picture of Ocean's sister, Tethys. The third smaller picture depicts a man.

The Sci-News page quoted the researchers as saying that all three paintings were colored glass to serve as the foundation for the building that archaeologists dubbed the House of Muses.