12 Zeugma mosaics to be returned to Turkey by USA

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry signed an agreement on May 14 with Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio in the United States for the return of 12 ancient Zeugma mosaic pieces looted during illegal excavations in Turkey’s southeastern province of Gaziantep nearly 50 years ago.

Credit: BGSU

“We are very happy that the Zeugma pieces are being returned to Turkey. The importance of carrying on cultural relations in the international arena by a mutual understanding has been underlined once again,” said Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry’s New York office director Tülin Sermin Özduran, who signed the agreement.

She thanked the authorities of Turkish Foreign and Interior Ministries as well as the Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality for their efforts.

Turkish Consul General in Chicago Umut Acar, who hosted the signing ceremony, also thanked the Foreign Ministry and the Culture and Tourism Ministry for their efforts to return archaeological remains and pieces of cultural heritage to Turkey from all over the world, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Some of the mosaics on the floor of the Arts Center of the 
University of Bowling Green, USA [Credit: BGSU]

BGSU President Rodney Rogers said they took it as a legal and ethical duty to return the tile fragments to Turkey.

“Legally, there’s one question and then there’s what we believe is the right decision … Unbeknownst to us, these items appear to have been removed in an improper way. Therefore, we believe it is our duty as a university to allow these pieces, which have historical significance to Turkey and the citizens of Turkey, but also to society in general, [to be returned] to their home,” he said at the ceremony, according to the daily The Blade based in Toledo, Ohio.

Raymond Craig, dean of the BGSU College of Arts and Sciences, and Sean Fitzgerald, general counsel for the university also signed the agreement.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [May 16, 2018]

Subterranean Mithras temple excavated in southeast Turkey

Archaeologists discovered two new corridors in a 1,700-year-old Roman-era temple belonging to the Mithras religion as part of the excavations conducted in the Zerzevan Castle in Turkey's southeastern Diyarbakır province.

IHA Photo

The head of the excavations, assistant professor Aytaç Coşkun, a faculty member of the Department of Archaeology at Dicle University, said the corridors were discovered as underground passways to the Mithras temple.

"This temple's rituals were conducted in secret and only people which met certain criteria were accepted to the religion," Coşkun said.

The assistant professor said the Zerzevan Castle will soon become the most important touristic attraction in Diyarbakır and they have set the target number of tourists at 1 million for Diyarbakır and 600,000 for the Castle in the upcoming season.

Haber21 Photo

According to the findings, the followers of Mithras religion were a closed community because their religious ceremonies are completely secret and no information was leaked to outsiders.

"Their temples are usually built underground. There are three niches on the eastern part of the temple. A very thoroughly constructed one is in the water basin. There is also a pool. We believe water was very widely used in Mithras ceremonies and about 40 people attended ceremonies held here," Coşkun said.

With the arrival of Christianity, the religion of Mithras lost its importance and the recently discovered temple is from the peak times of this religion.

Haber21 Photo

The Zerzevan Castle is situated along the ancient route of military premises and located on a 124-meter-high rocky hill in a strategic location between Amida and Dara. The settlement overlooks the entire valley and once controlled a large area on a key, ancient trade path. Once a strategic Roman border garrison town, the castle also witnessed the clashes between Romans and Sassanians.

The first settlement was named 'Samachi' and while it is not certain when it was built, the excavations are close to revealing its age. The castle walls were repaired at the time of Anastasios (491-518 A.D.) and Justinian (527-565 A.D.) and some parts have been completely reconstructed.

Source: Daily Sabah [May 13, 2018]