ZEUGMA Antique City

ZEUGMA       

          Ancient Zeugma City is located in Belkis Village 10 km east from Nizip / Gaziantep, by the River Euphrates. Zeugma ancient city which was established on a land of about 20 million kilometres. İt is very strategic region in terms of military and commerce, it protects its importance in each period of history.

HISTORY OF ZEUGMA

          Zeugma, which was one of the biggest cities of its period, through its population of 80 thousand people, was called with various names in various periods of history. Seleukekia Nikador, one of the Generals of the Alexander the Great, and who also became King of Syria later on, by combining his name with Euphrates river and established a city named as Selevkeya Euphrates in 300 B. C here. Then it was conquered by Roman Empire in 100 B.C. and its name was amended as Zeugma, meaning passage or bridge.

         The city is an important trade center of Hellenistic Era. After the region started to be ruled by Rome, importance of the city increased. Artistic activities increased and a cultural development is achieved in Zeugma. Zeugma’s huge wealth was reflected in the homes of its inhabitants. Rich merchants and Roman noblemen and officers vied with one another to adorn their houses with the world’s loveliest mosaics, ceramics, statues, and frescos.

         Zeugma has been described in international literature as the ‘second Pompei’. The people of Zeugma enjoyed a magnificent lifestyle in their city on the Euphrates until the Sassanid invasion in 252 AD and the city was burnt and razed. This was followed shortly after by a violent earthquake, and the city was buried under rubble, and fell into a sleep from which it was not to wake for nearly two thousand years. After the Turks took the region, the city became known as the Belkýs Ruins.

EXCAVATİONS IN ZEUGMA

       The first scientific study which proved that Zeugma is the same place as modern Belkis and it was published in 1917.  In 1987 Gaziantep Museum excavated two tomb chambers which had been discovered by antiquity smugglers. The excavation studies in the Ancient City was started in 1992 under the management of Gaziantep Museum Directorate of the Ministry of Culture. French archeology team joined the studies in 1996. In 1999 excavations were continued and was speeded up by the financial support of Gaziantep Governorship. The antique consequences which founded in the city was carried to Gaziantep museum. İn the late of 2000, a part of the antique city flooded with the construction of the Birecik dam. The excavation in Zeugma, taking in place in the region that will go under the waters of Birecik Dam has been completed on 4 October 2000. İn other parts excavations have been still going on and judgments are planning to make an open air museum.

STORİES OF SOME MOSAİCS

 

1.GYPSY GİRL

        This mosaic was found in 1992. İt was named ‘Gypsy’ because girl in the mosaic has resemblance with a gypsy.  Gypsy Girl been the symbol of Zeugma because of the mysterious look she had in her eyes. This mosaic has a speciality that she looks as if she always follow you. You feel that she always watching you everywhere. İt is believe that this mosaic is magical by some people.

 

 

 

2. ANTIOPE AND SATYROS MOSAIC

 

             Antiope is a very beatuful woman Zeus the God of Gods fell in love with Antrope after seeing her beautiy. And he approaches Antiope in shape of a Satyros. Zeus who steals Antiope’s heart and he has two children from her. But when Zeus leaves her,  Antiopes who was very much afraid of her father leaves home and marries Siklon the king of Epopeus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.PARTHENOPE MOSAIC

 

             Parthenope was a young girl from Phrygia. She fell in love with Metiokhos but she just couldn’t bring herself to take an action against her oath. Parthenope punished herself and cut her hair and volunterily went to Compania as an exile. She there devoted herself to Dyonysos and Aphrodit who got very angry with her turned Parthenope in to a demen called Siren with a birds body and woman’s head.