1,600-year-old Roman mosaic found in former Syrian opposition stronghold | Globalism

The mosaic, measuring 120 square meters (about 1300 m2), was found in the city of Rastan, in an old building in which the General Directorate of Antiquities and Syrian Museums was excavating.

Hammam Saad, director of the Syrian government’s agency for archaeological research, said the mosaics show Amazon warriors from Roman mythology.

“The illustrated scene is rich in detail,” Saad told The Associated Press. This includes the clothes they wore, their weapons, the horses they rode, faces, masks, and armor.

In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the half-god Hercules killed Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons, in one of his twelve acts. The mosaic also depicts Neptune, the ancient Roman god of the sea, and 40 of his mistresses.

“We cannot determine the type of building, whether it is a public toilet or something else, because we haven’t finished the excavations yet,” Saad said.

Lebanese and Syrian businessmen bought the fourth-century property from the Nabu Museum in Libya and donated it to the Syrian state.

Solaf Fawakherji, a well-known actress in Syria and a member of the Nabu Museum’s board of trustees, said she hopes to be able to purchase other buildings in Rastan, which she says are full of heritage and antiques waiting to be discovered.

Rastan was once a major opposition stronghold and a point of fierce fighting, before the city was retaken by the Syrian government in 2018.

Syria’s heritage has been looted and destroyed during the last decade of violent conflicts in the country. Among the most prominent incidents is the Islamic State’s destruction of the city of Palmyra, a A UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring Roman-era columns and artifacts More than 2000 years.

See below for more mosaic photos: