The ‘most complete and rarest’ work of art of its kind: archaeologists make a unique discovery. In Syria, they are excavating an ancient mosaic, 20 meters long and six meters wide, depicting scenes from the Trojan War.
A remarkably intact Roman-era mosaic has been unearthed in Syria. Located in the city of Rastan in western Civil War country, the artwork is 20 meters long and six meters wide, according to the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums. It depicts scenes from the Trojan War, among other things.
The mosaic is “not the oldest of its kind, but it is the most complete and rarest,” said Hammam Saad, who is in charge of excavations and archaeological studies at Syria’s Directorate-General for Museums. There is “nothing comparable”.
According to Saad, it is not yet possible to say what type of building it was. Whether it was a bathhouse or something else will only be known once the excavations are complete. These are still ongoing, as the researchers suspect that other parts of the mosaic could be under adjacent buildings.
According to the research team, part of the mosaic was discovered under a house a few years ago when opposition figures were digging tunnels there during the course of the civil war. In the course of the civil war in Syria, many archaeological sites were destroyed and looted. A sad example is Palmyra: The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) blew up the approximately 2,000-year-old cultural monuments in the oasis city because they saw buildings in them by “infidels”.
The city of Rastan was hard fought during the war. In 2018, Syrian government forces regained control of the area.
