New mosaics appear in Türkiye's ancient site Hadrianopolis
Traces of the Asclepius cult were found during the studies carried out in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis ancient city, believed to have been used as a settlement until the eighth century A.D., Karabük, Türkiye, Sept. 5, 2022. (IHA Photo)


The ancient city of Hadrianopolis in northern Türkiye's Karabük has revealed new mosaics with various figures during the ongoing excavations at the site.

Located in the Black Sea province of Karabük's Eskipazar district, Hadrianopolis is also called the "Zeugma of the Black Sea" due to its unique animal mosaics.

The ancient city was used as a settlement during the late Chalcolithic, Roman and early Byzantine periods.

Traces of the Asclepius cult were found during the studies carried out in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, believed to have been used for settlement until the eighth century A.D., Karabük, Türkiye, Sept. 5, 2022. (IHA Photo)

The site is also believed to have been used for health care purposes due to the discovery of an inscription addressing Asklepios, the god of medicine, as well as for military purposes due to the finding of an iron mask belonging to a Roman soldier.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Sinan Ekici, an official from the excavation team, said excavations and restoration have continued at the site year-round since they began in 2003.

"We are unearthing the walls of a Roman castle now. There is a new structure inside the castle that we started to excavate this year ...The mosaics show that it was a beautiful building," he noted.

Traces of the Asclepius cult were found during the studies carried out in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, believed to have been used for settlement until the eighth century A.D., Karabük, Türkiye, Sept. 5, 2022. (IHA Photo)

Ekici went on to say that mosaics are in various parts of this square-planned building and there are also various bird and amphora figures and grape basket decorations on the mosaics.

"It is only a matter of time before new mosaics are discovered. After taking the needed measures, we will open the mosaic sites for tourism," he added.

Established during the first century B.C., Hadrianopolis was used as a settlement until the eighth century A.D.

In the ancient city, many structures including two baths, two churches, a defense structure, rock tombs, a theater, an arched and domed building, a monumental cultic niche, city walls, villas, monumental buildings, and cult areas have been found.