Imagine plowing your field and running over a 1,600 square foot ancient Roman mosaic. Sounds impossible, but that’s exactly what happened in southern Turkey. In 2002, Nick Rauh, a classics professor from Purdue University was walking through a recently plowed field. He noticed that the plow dug up a piece of mosaic tile. He tried getting the local history museum to help excavate the site, but they did not have the funds. So the site was left alone.
Amazing Roman mosaic discovered in Southern Turkey
Then in 2011, the museum received the needed funds and they decided to uncover the hidden gem. They employed the biggest and baddest team of archeologists to rock out with their shovels out. Michael Hoff, a Lincoln art historian from the University of Nebraska, was the director of the excavation….wait did we say “Lincoln art historian”? We didn’t even know that field existed, but that’s cool :).
The mosaic turned out to be an enormous bath complex built by the Romans. It featured a 25 ft long marble outdoor pool. The Romans knew how to party! This is the largest mosaic ever discovered in southern Turkey. This particular area of southern Turkey is near the ancient city of Antiochia ad Cragum. This mosaic proves that the Romans had a much larger influence in this area than was once believed. The excavation will continue in 2013 and then will be open to the public!
Good Times,
Jon
– The Good World News