The Zeugma Mosaic Museum opened a new section last month (i.e. in July 2017). The new three-storey section is housed in a building opposite the current museum. It mainly displays mosaics from the 4th and 5th centuries CE. Nearly 3,000 square meters of mosaics are on display in this section, mostly from the Eastern Roman Empire. The mosaics show religious and mythological motifs as well as animal scenes.

Turkish Archaeological News team visited the new section of the museum on the 11th of July 2017, just after its inauguration. Below you can see the photos of the extensive mosaic collection from Section B. We believe that this is a unique opportunity for our readers to see the treasures never shown before online.

The among the most impressive mosaics from the new section you can see:

• Çörten Mosaic - dated to the 4th century CE. It is the floor mosaic of a triple-nave church located at the west of the Sinnep Mound in Çörten village of Kilis Province. The mosaic was brought to Gaziantep after rescue excavation in 2010. This move was necessary because of illegal excavations conducted in this area. The vandalism of treasure hunters is visible in some parts of the mosaic. The mosaic consists of tens of different geometric figures.



• Akdeğirmen Mosaic - unearthed during the excavations conducted between 1971 and 1974 in the area Akdeğirmen Tumulus, in Yavuzeli District of Gaziantep. In the main panel, a band of a rainbow and two circular decorations are located inside an octagon surrounded by the double braiding. There are numerous floral patterns and geometrical shapes, including the meander pattern. The mosaic dates back to the 5th century CE.



• Menderes Mosaic - discovered during the construction of a garden wall in Menderes Quarter of Nizip District in Gaziantep Province. It was transferred to the museum between 2009 and 2012. The mosaic originally decorated the historic church. This church is the biggest known church from late antiquity in the southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The archaeologists discovered two stages of this structure. The first one dates back to the reign of Emperor Constantine i.e. the first quarter of the 4th century CE. The second stage dates back to the reign of Emperor Theodosius i.e. the beginning of the 5th century CE.