Roman villa remains found in Turkey’s Düzce

DÜZCE – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

Ongoing excavation works in the Prusias ad Hypium ancient city have unearthed the ruins and mosaic floor of a 3rd-4th century B.C. villa. The ancient city is located in the Aynalı village in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Düzce. 

Düzce Governor Ali Fidan said the region has had a rich history that continues to be unearthed. 
“Here we have found the ruins of a 1,700-year-old villa from 300-400 A.D., as well as a mosaic with a diameter of 128 square meters. Officials are continuing their work. The villa shows that the settlement existed here in that era and the historical city of Prusias reached out to this region,” Fidan said. 
He added that the site of the villa ruins was the border region of the city.

“Konuralp has a rich cultural heritage. The villa shows this richness. What we should do here is to promote and protect it after excavation works. We need to accelerate these works. Tourism need to develop in Konuralp, where we have 46 registered structures. They are mosques, museums, monumental Roman bridges and 41 personal registered places. Restoration should be made as a whole. Our museum in Konuralp is on the way to becoming the world’s most important museums displaying Roman-era artifacts,” Fidan added.

He also said the villa had a bath in its courtyard as well as a pool. 
“We also found coins here, showing the richness of the era,” he said. 
Fidan stated that the movable parts of the mosaics would go on display at the museum, while other parts would be repaired in their original place. 

“As we don’t have a large area in the museum, we cannot display everything. We need a new museum. The current building is insufficient for display,” he said. 

The land where the remains were discovered are currently owned by a local individual and should be acquired by the state, Fidan also added.