In Kızıltepe district of Mardin, mosaics with figures of sea creatures were found among the Roman period villa remains in the area where the rescue excavation was carried out.
Officials investigated reports of illegal excavations in the area known as Kela Hanma (Lady’s Castle) in the countryside of Uzunkaya Neighborhood, about 30 kilometers from the county center. During the inspections, it was determined that the architectural texture of the area was destroyed and that there were many illegal digging holes in the area.
In connection with this, the rescue excavation was launched and mosaic floors belonging to a Roman Villa rustica started to emerge.
The mosaics include triangles lined side by side, horizontal and vertical hexangles, adjacent octangles, swastika motifs inside the square, beltwork motifs consisting of a square sequence with rounded edges, tree, water bird, octopus, fish, mussels, seal, snake and aquatic plant figures.
The mosaics date back to the early Byzantine-Late Roman period.
It was for the first time in the Mardin area when the sea creatures in the mosaics have been discovered.
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