‘Vineyard Mosaic’ ready to be showcased

An ancient mosaic that was unearthed during excavations in the southern province of Hatay will be on display in November to visitors of the Hatay Archeological Museum, the head of the museum said Oct. 21.  

The six-square-meter mosaic was discovered during illegal excavations in the Mazmanlı neighborhood of Hassa district and was later unearthed and moved to the museum's warehouse in 2016.

Work was initiated to display the mosaic, which was carefully preserved and thought to belong to the late Roman period, which corresponds to the 5th and 6th centuries, to the museum's visitors.

The mosaic, on which six months of restoration work was completed and contains figures describing a grape harvest, was moved to the Temporary Exhibition Hall of the museum under the name "Mosaic of the Vine Harvest."
The mosaic, made ready for display with its illustrations of grapes, which had an important place in agricultural activities in the late Roman period, will be introduced to local and foreign tourists.

Ayşe Ersoy, director of the Hatay Archaeological Museum, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the artifact was found as the floor mosaic of a church.

She said the work has been kept in the museum's warehouse for about five years.

"A grape harvest is depicted on it. It reflects the grapes carried in a donkey's basket by a Roman. From this mosaic, we see that grapes had a very important place in the economy and as a food source in our district of Hassa in those years.

"From ancient times to the present, we have been a district famous for its vineyards and grapes," she said.
"Our mosaic was a mosaic that comes to the fore every year during the grape harvest in Hassa. Based on this, we wanted to introduce it to the visitors....