Elazığ is talking about this discovery: Roman-era mosaic found in a field

In the village of Salkaya, located in the central district of Elazığ, a floor mosaic dating back to the Roman period, which was discovered by chance by a garden owner while digging a hole to plant saplings, has been expanded to cover 84 square meters. As archaeologists continue their work, walls have also been unearthed at the mosaic site.

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Elazığ is talking about this discovery: Roman-era mosaic found in a field

Elazığ's Salkaya village, located 14 kilometers from the city center, was the site of a chance discovery about 3 and a half months ago when a farmer planting saplings noticed a structure with various mosaic patterns.

Suspecting that the structure might be a historical relic, the field owner notified the Elazığ Museum Directorate and the gendarmerie. Following an inspection by teams in the area, it was determined that the site contained floor mosaics from a historical structure believed to date back to the Roman period.

Excavation and rescue operations were initiated by the Elazığ Museum Directorate under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As a result of the excavation and rescue work carried out during this period, the mosaic area was expanded to cover 84 square meters.

Pointing out that, in addition to its historical and cultural significance, this is the first floor mosaic found in Elazığ, Ziya Kılınç, Director of the Elazığ Ethnography and Archaeology Museum, stated, ''Our studies regarding whether there are similar examples of this mosaic are still ongoing. These studies will likely continue next year as well.”

'IT WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO A MOSAIC MUSEUM'

Stating that an area with walls surrounding the mosaic has also been revealed, Museum Director Ziya Kılınç said, “We started excavation work on August 1st. The excavation work we started has been continuing for about 3 and a half months.

In the first stage, we gridded a 5-by-10 area in the location where the mosaic was found and began excavating the mosaic within this opening. Seeing that the mosaic area continued, these openings were expanded. As of today, a floor mosaic spread over an 84-square-meter area and an area surrounded by walls have been revealed.

We will likely expand the excavation area next year to learn what these walls are. If there is a large area here like in Zeugma or Halepli Bahçe, this place will likely be expropriated and transformed into a mosaic museum.

If it is a single-piece mosaic, we will transport it to the museum with the help of restorers from the Diyarbakır regional laboratory and exhibit it there. The work we are currently doing is to determine whether there are similar examples of this mosaic, and it is still ongoing. These studies will likely continue next year as well,” he said.

News Source: İHA