Medusa mosaic reopens to visitors

BURDUR

The Medusa mosaic and the Odeon stoa floor mosaic in the ancient city of Kibyra in the southern province of Burdur are now open to visitors again. The artifacts, which remain closed during the winter months for protection against climatic conditions, will be open to visitors until the end of November.

Excavations that started in 2006 in the ancient city of Kibyra, located on three dominant hills separated from each other by deep cliffs in Gölhisar district of Burdur, have been carried out since 2010 by a team headed by Burdur Mehmet, Akif Ersoy and University Archeology Department Faculty Member Şükrü Özüdoğru.

The ancient city’s Medusa mosaic, a 2,000-year-old “snake-haired, sharp-toothed female monster” figure, is the most important attraction in the region. It was unearthed during the 2009 excavations in the Odeon section of the ancient city.

The mosaic, which is unique in the world, is opened to visitors during this time of the year and covered in winter in order to prevent it from being damaged in the harsh winter conditions.

The 2,300-year-old Kibyra, also known as the “City of Gladiators,” entered the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2016. It draws attention with its gigantic, monumental structures, including a stadium with a capacity of 10,000 people, built in the Roman and Byzantine architectural traditions.

Apart from the late Roman bath, agoras, main street, a huge theater for 9,000 people and underground chamber tombs, it is also home to an orchestra section covered with Medusa mosaic.

In Greek mythology, Medusa was a monster, generally described as having the face of a hideous human female with live venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Medusa was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who used her head as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield. In classical antiquity, the image of the head of Medusa appeared on amulets that fend off evil, known as the Gorgoneion.