Turkish Culture & Tourism Ministry Stops Sale Of Zeugma Mosaics
ANKARA - Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry stopped Thursday the sale of 12 Zeugma mosaics which were about to be put on auction sale in the French capital, Paris.
The ministry, which learnt that mosaics unearthed in Turkey`s Zeugma historical site would be sold at an auction to be held by the Drout auction house, contacted the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requested necessary actions be taken.
Upon the efforts of the Turkish embassy in Paris, the sale of the 12 historical pieces was prevented, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
A group of Turkish scholars, who participated in the excavation work in Zeugma, would examine the pieces included in the auction house`s catalogue and write a detailed report on whether such mosaics belonged to the ancient city of Zeugma, the statement also said.
-ANCIENT CITY OF ZEUGMA-
Zeugma, an ancient city of Commagene, was unearthed in Turkey`s southeastern Gaziantep province.
The ancient city was originally founded, as a Greek settlement by Seleucus I Nicator, one of the generals of the Alexander the Great, in 300 B.C. King Seleucus almost certainly named the city Seleucia after himself. The population in the city was approximately 80,000.
In 64 B.C., Zeugma was conquered and ruled by the Roman Empire and with this shift the name of the city was changed into Zeugma, meaning "bridge-passage" or "bridge of boats". During the Roman rule, the city became one of the attractions in the region, due to its commercial potential originating from its geo-strategical location because the city was on the Silk Road connecting Antakya to China with a quay or pontoon bridge across the Firat River (Euphrates).
The ancient city was first discovered during archaeological excavations in 1987. Unique mosaics have been unearthed in the city so far.
(DO-AÖ)
