One of the “rarest” mosaics ever discovered was unearthed in Syria on Wednesday. It is a 1,600-year-old Roman-era mosaic that features images of warriors from the Trojan War. The mosaic is the most recent to be discovered in the Homs district of northern Syria’s Rastan, which the government retook from rebels in 2018 following years of conflict.
According to Hammam Saad, director of excavations and archaeological studies at Syria’s General Directorate of Museums, soldiers are depicted wielding swords and shields bearing the names of Greek generals who participated in the Trojan War. Despite not being the oldest of its kind, Saad asserted that it was the most complete and unusual. There isn’t a mosaic like that here.
Archaeologists have so far uncovered a mosaic that is about 20 metres (65 feet) long and six metres wide beneath a building, but it is anticipated that more mosaics will be found. Syria was a treasure trove for archaeologists, with some of the oldest and best-preserved artefacts from ancient civilizations, but more than ten years of war have rendered portions of Syria’s legendary past irreparably destroyed.
Many of Syria’s most well-known archaeological buildings, such as the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Maarat al-Numan Museum in Idlib, and the floors and paintings of the ancient city of Palmyra, are decorated with mosaics. In 2015, the Islamic State organisation captured Palmyra, converting it into a location for public executions, and demolishing the city’s iconic Arch of Triumph and Baal Shamin shrine.
Six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Syria all experienced some degree of damage. Ancient mosaics in Rastan were stolen, the Khalid Ibn al-Walid mosque was destroyed, and the Umm al-Zinar church was burned down in the Homs province. The antiquities illicit market helped transportable items like coins, statuettes, and mosaic fragments to be dispersed throughout the world during the chaos that overtook Syria at the height of the conflict.
(With inputs from agencies)
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