A significant historical finding was revealed in the Incesu area of Caesarea during archaeological excavations. In the geographical centre of Turkey, a 33-room villa was found to have the largest floor mosaic structure, while parallel walls with the Greek inscription “If you are healthy, enter” were found inside the room. Specifically, in the context of the excavations that continued this year, new mosaics were uncovered in the villa, which is estimated to have been built in the 4th century AD.
The Director of Culture and Tourism of Caesarea said that the excavation began three years ago and that every year more and more surface area is revealed. “The initial estimate of the area where the mosaic is located was 300 square meters and now it has reached 600 square meters,” he said; excavations continued over an area of about 4 thousand square meters. “We came to the conclusion that this place was built in the 4th century. According to the findings, there are also traces dating back to the 3rd Century onwards. The quality technique used in the floor mosaics suggests that this place was a very important villa at that time” the Director of Culture stressed.
“In the area identified as a banquet hall, a Latin inscription was found. In addition, Greek inscriptions were also uncovered. There are mainly geometrically decorated mosaics” he added.
The excavations have come to an end for this year but are expected to continue next year. The person in charge of the excavation project stated that the building continued to be used during the Byzantine period and after the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia.
The mosaics first came to light during archaeological restoration work in 2010. After two excavations – in 2010 and 2012 respectively – that partially revealed the mosaic inscriptions, some legal issues forced the suspension of the archaeological work. Excavations started again in 2020 and by the end of 2021, more than 10 rooms with about 300 sqm of continuous mosaic floors had been uncovered and were in excellent condition. This year’s excavations led to a doubling of the mosaic surface area, which now stands at around 600 square meters; so far, some 4,000 square meters have been excavated at this site.
Photo: @Sarah404BC/X
