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We are geeking out over these 2,200 year old Greek mosaics

Feb 10, 2017

Home 9 mosaic 9 We are geeking out over these 2,200 year old Greek mosaics

The Ancient Greeks are still providing the world with gorgeous and important artifacts even though the height of their culture was thousands of years ago. From philosophy to architecture, there’s just so much to learn! We could only dream of being part of the sort of archeological dig that would unveil perfectly preserved 2,200 year old Greek mosaic floors.

Apparently, there are very few Greek relics in pristine condition. Well that’s exactly what was unearthed while sifting the earth beneath Zeugma, Turkey. A team lead by Ankara University professor Kutalmış Görkay stumbled on three immaculately preserved 2nd century BC Greek mosaics.

The team, working against time, attempted to excavate as much earth as possible before a new dam was to send flood waters over the area. That’s when they made the unbelievable find.

ANCIENT GREEK MOSAICS DISCOVERED

Amazing! 2,200 Year Old Beautiful Ancient Greek Mosaics Discovered in Zeugma, Turkey (Ancient Greek City) WATCH TO THE END. See Part 2 here www.facebook.com/GreekGateway/videos/1434095256635061/ See more great videos www.greekgateway.com/news/the-greatest-greek-videos

Posted by Greek Gateway on Monday, January 23, 2017

“From our knowledge of working on well-cared-for antique stone,” said Boston Stone Restoration owner, Paul Bunis, “the experience of working in that hallowed setting on an ancient installation must have been both exciting and humbling. We congratulate the team on their findings!”

Last year Paul & Melissa from BSR visited Greece and were able to observe ancient quarries, view stonework and get reaquainted with the processes involved in creating the ancient mosaics, a labor that required both incredible feats of strength and surprising creativity.

In ancient Greece, marble mining was a long process that was often difficult. When a marble quarry was found the quarrymen would use the natural fissures in the rock to their advantage, they would put iron wedges in the natural fissures and pound them with hammers until the large marble block was released. They would then carve out the rough shape to remove a portion of the weight and so it would be lighter when it was being moved to the mason’s worksite. Getting the marble out of the quarry took incredible muscle power along with the help of ropes, pulleys, winches, levers, wooden beams, and rollers. The marble was then maneuvered onto a heavy wooden cart that would have mules hooked up to it and it would begin the slow road to the workplace. The simple act of moving stone from quarry to workplace was gargantuan.

Resources:
Mosaic restoration in Boston
Zeugma Archaeology Project
History of Mosaics

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