Classic pool deck

Here's how the events unfolded: "The first hint that something stunning lay underground in southern Turkey came in 2002." Pieces of mosaic tile turned up when a farmer plowed his field, so he contacted the local museum in Alanya, Turkey. It wasn't until 2011 that a team led by art historian Michael Hoff of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, secured the funding necessary to reveal the extent of what was hidden beneath the soil:

A giant mosaic featuring intricate geometric patterns, which decorated the floor of a bath complex at the height of the Roman Empire (image above, slideshow here, video here). The mosaic once surrounded a 25' (7m) marble open-air swimming pool in what was then the city of Antiochia ad Cragum. Not only is it enormous - measuring 1,600 sq ft (149 sq m), it is beautifully preserved. The large square mosaic tiles feature geometric designs (starburst patterns, intertwined loops) on a white background.

Hoff and his students, who have uncovered 40% of the mosaic, will return in the 2013 season to complete their work. They plan to construct a wooden shelter over the entire excavation and allow the public to view what is the largest Roman mosaic ever found in the region.

__________

Revisit Rome:

Gladiators

Gladiatrix

Spolia

On shaky ground

What the ancient Romans ate

New threatens old...

In Pompeii...

Roman vandalism

Nero's dining room