Lion Mosaic Discovered in Northwestern Turkey

DÜZCE, TURKEY—According to a Hurriyet Daily News report, a mosaic floor featuring an image of a lion has been unearthed in northwestern Turkey at the site of the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium by researchers from the Konuralp Museum. The mosaic served as the floor of a room situated on the upper edge of the city’s third-century B.C. theater. The interior walls of the room, which is thought to have been used by a cult of Dionysus, were covered with marble plates. The floor was decorated with white, blue, yellow, green, and brown tesserae surrounding the lion image, while geometric patterns were used as a border. A sculpted head depicting Alexander the Great, and statues of Medusa and Apollo, have also been recovered at the site. To read about how different ancient cultures incorporated lions into their art and religious practices, go to "When Lions Were King."