ISTANBUL, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A 3rd-century Roman-era floor mosaic, featuring an intricate depiction of the goddess of abundance, has been unearthed in the Iznik district of Türkiye's Bursa province, offering new insights into urban life and luxury architecture in ancient Anatolia, experts announced on Thursday.
First partially uncovered 11 years ago during sewer works, the mosaic was revealed in recent excavations as part of what appears to be either a Roman-era public building or a lavish private residence.
Archaeologist Yusuf Kahveci, who leads the excavation, told reporters that both the mosaic and wall plasters were crafted with exceptionally costly workmanship, suggesting the building was highly luxurious. Its precise function remains uncertain, but it could have been a public structure, a lavish villa, or even a bathhouse, he said.
Kahveci highlighted the mosaic's extraordinary artistic detail, noting that the central panel depicts a female figure embodying abundance.
"On the left panel, there appears a goddess of prosperity flanked by smaller mythological figures, with inscriptions that archaeologists plan to decipher through forthcoming epigraphic studies," he said.
The main figure holds a basket filled with fruits, believed to represent plants cultivated in Iznik during the Roman period, surrounded by intricate geometric and three-dimensional motifs.
Kahveci said the mosaic also portrays a woman symbolising Lake Iznik, known in Roman times as Askania. "The figure appears connected to water, with hair depicted as algae, a crown fashioned from crab claws, and a neck adorned with wave-like motifs. This suggests the lake was personified as a venerable female entity," he said. ■