Hatay Archaeology Museum

The Archaeological Museum Antakya ( Hatay Archaeological Museum also, Turkish Hatay Arkeoloji Muzesi) includes not only the archaeological finds from the vicinity of Antakya ( ancient Antioch ), the Turkish province of Hatay and from Tarsus one of the world's most extensive collections of Roman mosaics. In Turkey, the collection is only surpassed by the 2011 opened Zeugma Mosaic Museum

History

The first excavations in Antakya and the surrounding area were carried out from 1932. At the suggestion of the French archaeologist Claude Prost involved the construction of a museum was decided and initiated under the architectural direction of Michel Ecocherde 1934. Construction was completed in 1939, when the former Sanjak of Alexandretta was attached as a province of Hatay Republic of Turkey. Then it took another nine years until the stored in depots exhibits brought into the rooms of the museum and the museum was opened to the liberation hard Hatays on 23 July 1948. Since the number of exhibits by further excavations constantly rising, a growing had to be tackled in the 1960s, which was opened after four years of construction 1973. The number of showrooms grew from five to eight.

Exhibition

From excavations of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in the Amikebene 1933-1938 originate from prehistoric exhibits, Assyrian and Hittite times, and from the reign of Mittani. The localities are Cüdeyde Tell, Tell Tayinat, Çatal Höyük and Dehep ( not the same as Çatalhöyük in Konya ). These include a relief with Assyrian soldiers marching over the corpses of their enemies beheaded and carry the heads in their hands, from Tell Tayinat ( 7th century BC ) and column base with lion figures, also from Tell Tayinat ( 8th century v. AD). In the Amikebene more than 150 settlement mounds are known, but which are only partially investigated.

The excavations of Leonard Woolley for the British Museum in Tell Acana ( Alalakh ) from 1937 to 1949 brought in 17 layers finds dating from the fourth to the end of the second millennium BC to days. These include idols from the Mittani period, altars, ceramics, Hittite portal lions and a relief of the Hittite king Tudhalija IV Excavations at Alalakh were continued from 2000 by the University of Chicago as part of a held since 1995 Surveys of Amikebene.

The vast majority of the exhibited in the museum mosaics comes from excavations, the Princeton University in cooperation with the Musées Nationaux de France in 1935 to 1939 in Antakya itself, the ancient Antioch on the Orontes, and the surrounding area, in Samandağ ( Seleucia Pieria ), Iskenderun ( Alexandretta ) and the grove of Daphne, now a recreation area Harbiye south of Antakya, led by. Among the many up to 25 m² plants are particularly noteworthy:

  • The Four Seasons, n from the 2nd century AD, found in a villa in Daphne, in the four corners of each figure representing one of the seasons can be seen. Next scenes from Greek mythology are represented, including Bellerophon and Stheneboea, Paris and Helen, Hippolytus and Phaedra, the hunting of the Calydonian boar, and in the middle, badly damaged, Jason and Medea.
  • Oceanus and Thetis, from the 4th century, found in Daphne. Sea god and goddess are with the animals of the sea and Eros riding on a whale represented. From Oceanus and Thetis two more mosaics can be seen, one of Iskenderun and one from Antakya.
  • The Yakto mosaic, dating from the 5th century, found in Yakto at Harbiye (Daphne). In the center is a medallion Megalopsychia to see the side borders show hunting scenes from mythology, the actors are each called by name: Adonis hunts a boar, Narcissus fights with a lion, Tiresias with a panther, Akteo with a bear, Hippolytus with mythical animals and Melagros with a tigress. On the outer border scenes of daily life are depicted.
  • The crest -shaped buffet mosaic, dating from the 3rd century, found in Daphne. In the lower semicircular part Ganymede is shown, which extends an eagle water, surrounded by plates of food, at the top of various birds are shown.
  • The octagonal Soteria Mosaic, from the 5th century, found in the floor of a bath in Narlıca in Antakya. It shows Soteria posh woman with a wreath on his head and a necklace.
  • Numerous small, partly curious figures such as the lucky hunchback, the fisherman Mohr, Heracles fighting as a chubby six months old infant with two snakes, as well as multiple representations of the Drunken Dionysus.

A statue of the Roman emperor Lucius Verus from the 2nd century AD, was found in the area of ​​Samandağ.

Pictures

Apollo as the sun god

Soteria

Spring ( The Four Seasons )

Oceanus and Thetis

The lucky hunchback

The fisherman Mohr

Herakles and the serpents

Antakya stela

Hatay Province Zeugma Mosaic Museum Amik Valley History of the Assyrian people Hittites Paris (mythology) Helen of Troy Hippolytus (son of Theseus) Integrated Authority File
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