"An intact mosaic from Late Antiquity discovered during restoration of a historic municipal building in Istanbul is now a floor again, covered in plexiglass and welcoming visitors to the new Zeytinburnu Mosaic Museum. Visitors of Turkey's newest museum move across elevated glass walkways, suspended right above the original floors themselves. The mosaics are not relocated fragments mounted on walls, but surfaces that remain exactly where they were first laid, preserving their context for all to see."
"Beyond the floors, the museum presents terracotta vessels, coins from various centuries and the marble sarcophagus discovered on site. With its library and exhibition spaces too, the institution is more than one archaeological stop, it forms part of a broader cultural revitalisation in Zeytinburnu. The 190-square-meter (2,045 square feet) mosaic floor was discovered in 2015 when the Ottoman-era military hospital building from 1893 was being converted into an art center."
The 190-square-meter mosaic floor was uncovered in 2015 during restoration of an 1893 Ottoman-era military hospital being converted into an art center. The mosaic's decorative stars, geometric knots, polygonal shapes and florals date it to the fourth or fifth centuries and suggest installation in a suburban Roman villa outside Constantinople's ancient walls. Archaeological work resumed after the discovery and a 2019 excavation revealed a marble sarcophagus with two skeletons, a brick tomb, terracotta vessels and coins from various periods. The mosaic remains in situ beneath plexiglass with elevated glass walkways for visitors. The museum includes exhibition spaces, a library and contributes to Zeytinburnu's cultural revitalisation.
Read at www.thehistoryblog.com
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