The first settlements in the region of the ancient city of Zeugma date back to the Bronze Age. At the end of the 1st century CE, the city was under the control of the Fourth Legion deployed by the Roman Empire in the region and was named Zeugma, which means "bridge," "passage," or "crossroads".
Zeugma, Akratos and EuphorosyneThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
From then, Zeugma developed as the empire's security and trade hub in the east. The period of peace that followed imperial rule helped the city develop greatly in economic and cultural terms. In this period, a number of two- and three-storey villas were built in the Fırat Valley.
The floors of these villas were paved with mosaics and the walls were decorated with frescoes. Thanks to the shallow pools built in the villas surrounded by peristyles, water was an important part of the city's life. Most of the mosaics in the museum were excavated from these villas.
Europa and Nereids MosaicThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The exhibition at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum presents the beliefs, culture and daily life of the people who lived in the city in an environment built according to the city's original architecture, complete with a street, fountain, wall and building blocks.
Ocean and Thetis MosaicThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Okeanos and Tethys
The Mosaic of Okeanos and Tethys is the floor mosaic of the shallow pool of the Okeanos Villa. This mosaic is from the Early Roman Imperial Period. The mosaic depicts the source of life, the river god Okeanos, and his wife Tethys.
They are surrounded by various species of fish and Erotes riding dolphins, symbolizing the fertility of the sea. The most frequently depicted symbols of Okeanos are snakes and fish.
In the middle is the dragon Cetus, a mythological sea creature that has the body of a snake. This symbolizes the Euphrates River, which was also depicted as a dragon, as can be seen in the coins issued for Zeugma.
Zeugma, Akratos and EuphorosyneThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Akratos and Euphrosine
The mosaic of Akratos and Euphrosine is the floor mosaic in a room of the “Menad” villa. It was unearthed in the room next to the mosaic called "Gypsy Girl" during the rescue excavation by the Gaziantep Museum in 1998.
The mosaic depicts Akratos (meaning "administrator” or “transmitter") and the water fairy Euphrosyne (meaning "merriment"). The composition depicts Akratos offering the sacred wine in a golden crater from the divine source to Euphrosyne with a cornucopia.
Euphrates MosaicThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Euphrates (River Gods)
Euphrates’ mosaic is the floor mosaic of the pool in the Euphrates Villa. This octagonal mosaic depicts Euphrates, the goddess of the Euphrates River, and female figures that are thought to symbolize the Kahta and Göksu rivers, two of the smaller rivers of the region.
The water flows from the golden pitcher that Euphrates holds under her arm. Thus she gives life to nature and the Euphrates River. Egyptian blue tesseras are used to depict the flow of water. Various plants spring from the soil where it makes contact with the water.
Achilleus MosaicThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Achilleus
The Mosaic of Achilleus is dated to the 3rd century. It is one of the floor mosaics of the Poseidon Villa in the ancient city of Zeugma. The mosaic depicts Odysseus as he finds Achilles in the palace of the King of Skyros and takes him away to the Trojan war.
The contrast between the oblique body postures of the four figures in the front and the vertical columns of the palace in the back adds movement to the composition. The columns are used to draw attention to the figures in the front.
The fountain in the middle of the mosaic used to receive water from the pipes underneath the mosaic. When the pool was filled with approximately 6 inches (15 cm) of water, thanks to the inclined stance of the figures and the wave motif seen on the borders of the mosaic, all of the elements in the composition seemed to move.
Gypsy Girl MosaicThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of the Gypsy Girl
The mosaic was found during the excavations made by the Gaziantep Museum Directorate in the ancient city of Zeugma. It is located in a place called the Menad House. When the mosaic was revealed, the excavation team named it Gypsy Girl because of her scattered hair, cheekbones, plump face and earrings.
We do not know the identity of the person depicted. Some believe that she is a Maenad at a festival of Dionysus because of the vine leaves next to her head. Some claim that the mosaic is a portrait of Alexander the Great.
The most interesting part of the mosaic is how its eyes follow the viewer. It has become the symbol of the ancient city of Zeugma thanks to the powerful feelings that its gaze evokes: both sadness and joy at the same time.
Triumph of PoseidonThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Poseidon
This mosaic is in the shallow pool in the courtyard of the villa called Poseidon House. It depicts a half-naked Poseidon in a golden carriage pulled by Hippocampus, a silver-colored creature that has the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish.
Poseidon’s body is shown from the front with his head tilted slightly to the left. In his right hand, Poseidon holds his symbol, the trident. At the bottom of the carriage are Okeanos, the chief god of the rivers, and his wife Tethys, with two river monsters wrapped around their shoulders.
Trench 6 kahvaltıdaki kadınlar mozaiğiThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Women at Breakfast
One of the rarest works in our museum, the mosaic of the women at breakfast is the floor mosaic of one of the rooms of the Zosimos Villa, one of the terrace villas of Zeugma. It depicts the breakfast scene in Synaristosai, a comedy written by Menander, who was a famous writer in the ancient period.
Since Menander's play has not survived, the details of the scene are not known.
The outermost thick border depicts in detail the Erotes fighting wild beasts like lions and panthers. The men and women in the corner wreaths are looking inwards at the women in the central composition.
Aphrodite MosaicThe Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums of Türkiye
The Mosaic of Venus' Birth
This mosaic depicts Venus, also known as Aphrodite, emerging from the white foam of the sea. Famous for her beauty, Venus is being carried in an oyster shell by creatures called tritons, mythological sea creatures with the upper body of a human, the lower body of a fish, and the hooves of a horse.
Although the face of Venus was destroyed, the figure of the goddess is brought to the forefront in a way that emphasizes her beauty. In the upper part of the mosaic, two winged Erotes, the symbols of Venus, herald her birth.
The frame of the mosaic depicts animals and various hunting scenes.
