Amisos Mosaic attracts great attention

SAMSUN

The Amisos Mosaic, spanning 56 square meters and thought to originate from the third century A.D., is exhibited within a designated section at the Samsun Museum, along with its motifs of Achilles and Thetis.

The Amisos Mosaic was found in 1958 during the excavation work in the area of the present-day school in the ancient city of Amisos in the northern province of Samsun’s İlkadım district. The mosaic was removed from its original place in 1959 and put on display in the old Samsun Archeology Museum.

The mosaic base, which originally consisted of 10 panels, attracts attention with its dimensions of 56 square meters. The removal of the mosaic from its original place was carried out by dividing it into 31 pieces, not as a whole, and in 1.5-meter panels.

The central panel in the middle of the mosaic depicts Achilles and Thetis, the mother of Achilles, the best warrior of all time according to Greek mythology, and the wife of Peleus, the king of Phtya.

Around this panel, exactly in the corners, are busts representing the four seasons, and among them, there are four panels depicting Hypocampos (seahorse), sea monsters, and Nereids (mermaids) carried by Triton (human from the waist up, fish below).

In addition, there is a mosaic consisting of a panel depicting the host during the sacrifice ceremony. These panels are surrounded by two different geometric patterns.

Amisos Treasures

Amisos Treasures, consisting of 64 pieces, which are the most valuable archaeological finds discovered in Türkiye after the Karun treasures, are also one of the great attractions in the newly opened Samsun Museum.

Unearthed during a construction excavation in Samsun on Nov. 28, 1995, these treasures are esteemed as the most valuable artifacts belonging to the dynasty members of the Pontus Kingdom.

The Amisos Treasure is divided into five categories: Glass, metal, terracotta, marble and gold. The history of gold artifacts dates back to the first century B.C., while the history of other works dates back to the fourth century B.C.

The 22,222-square-meter Samsun Museum in the northern province of Samsun includes an archaeology and ethnography museum, a children's museum, a conference hall for 346 people, a library for 120 people, artifact exhibition halls, laboratories, a restaurant, a guest exhibition hall and a very large area containing 1,117 archaeological artifacts, 268 ethnographic artifacts and 5,780 coins.