A gigantic thousand-year-old mosaic showing mythological figures and the Trojan War was discovered by a group of archeologists in the remnants of an ancient city in Syria this past week.
The group of archeologists claimed that the mosaic, which sits at roughly 1,300 square feet, has been labeled as a very “rare” discovery and the group was quite surprised to discover it so well preserved due to the Syrian Civil War.
“What is in front of us is a discovery that is rare on a global scale,” explained the associate director of excavation and archaeological research at Syria’s General Directorate of Antiquities and Museum, Dr. Humam Saad, to the Associated Press.
The giant mosaic, which was discovered near Rastan, depicts a series of scenes from the Trojan War, Amazon warriors, and Neptune the Roman god of the sea alongside 40 of his mistresses. The incredibly ancient piece of art is thought to be part of a bathhouse, but the group still seems to be a bit uncertain of that detail.
“We can’t identify the type of the building, whether it’s a public bathhouse or something else, because we have not finished excavating yet,” stated Saad.
The Trojan War was a massive conflict that possibly took place almost 3,000 years ago after one Trojan, Paris, ran off with Helen, the wife of Greek King Menelaus, and kicked off an over 10-year siege of the city fo Troy and featured historic figures such as Achilles, Ajax, Hector, and Ulysses.
The sieging Greeks were eventually able to push in and take over Troy due to the wiles of Odysseus, who crafted a plan to secret troops inside of a large wooden horse designed to look like a sacrifice to a god in order to get them into the city.
Various ancient academics, such as the “Father of History” Herodotus, and the esteemed mathematician Eratosthenes, spoke as though the Trojan War was a historical event, and there has also been discovered quite a bit of archeological evidence that lends credence to the various stories — chief of which was the actual discovery of the city of Troy back in 1870 by Frank Calvert and Heinrich Schliemann.
The massive depiction of the infamous war was discovered in Rastan and dates back to Roman settlement in the area. Over the past few years, it has become the express target of many Syrian rebels. As reported by Saad, one group of rebels tried to sell off portions of the massive mosaic throughout the black market but were unable.
“Unfortunately, there were armed groups that tried to sell the mosaic at one point in 2017 and listed it on social media platforms,” he explained.
https://t.co/cyKogq2Tbu Huge Roman Mosaic Depicting Trojan War Saved From Terrorists in Syria https://t.co/ALhKh3tV83 pic.twitter.com/u4NRJgv3kZ
— Billy Carson II (@4biddnKnowledge) October 14, 2022