Zeugma
Seleukeia
Türkiye · Gaziantep
In brief
Following its Hellenistic foundation, the city at the Euphrates crossing became an important Roman frontier and trading center. Some of the mosaic-floored houses found during excavations are displayed in place under a protective roof.
What was found?
- 1Figurative Roman mosaics
These are pavements decorating residences with scenes from literature and mythology. They provide information about the homeowners' visual tastes and cultural world.
- 2Wall paintings
These are interior decorations of Roman houses. Together with the mosaics, they reveal the approach to decorating the residences.
- 3Bronze statue of Mars
This statue of the god of war was found concealed beneath food storage jars in the Poseidon Villa. It provides a tangible example of the use of statues within a residence.
- 4Cult statues from Belkıs Tepesi
These are large statues found in the sanctuary. According to researchers, they may represent the deities of Kommagene.
- 5Roman courtyard houses
These are urban houses arranged around courtyards. Their preserved spaces and decorations allow us to examine everyday life in a Roman frontier city.
What does it point to?
The houses of Zeugma indicate an affluent urban life sustained by trade and military movement at the Fırat crossing. The sanctuaries and domestic decorations show different cultural traditions coming together in the same city.
What did it teach us?
- Documents the presence of sophisticated residential architecture and rich pictorial art in Roman frontier cities.
- House mosaics show that ancient literature and mythology were brought into private living spaces.
- Sanctuary finds allow research into the religious program of Kommagene, which combined Greek and Persian traditions.
Images


Record
- Culture
- Seleucid, Commagenian and Roman
- First modern dig
- 1987
- Team / historical
- Kutalmış Görkay
- Coordinates
- 37.0537°, 37.8672°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Carchemish 28 km
- Sayburç 67 km
- Domuztepe 79 km
- Göbekli Tepe 95 km
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al 106 km
- Karahantepe 128 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
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