#bithynia

Mosaic of the 3rd century AD, discovered a few years ago in Bithynia, in modern day Turkey, and revealed just today, in light of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey and his official meeting with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I. 

The reason the reveal took place today “in light of this visit” is probably that the mosaic dates to the Roman period and Turkish websites and Facebook pages stressed how it connected Turkey with a Roman past through the Ottoman heritage. 

None of the pages and sites I saw explained why this was most suitable to coincide with the arrival of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, when the mosaic has inscriptions in Greek, suggesting Greek or Hellenized artists and owners, and by proxy is the millionth piece of evidence of the mostly Greek character of East Rome. Let alone since the mosaic has no evident Christian reference and it features personifications of nature. 

But of course the Turkish state would rather self-combust than address the reveal to the Greek state as Greek monuments are systematically labelled as Roman or as vaguely “ancient” with a refusal to provide linguistic and contextual information to the visitors of a lot of these sites, especially those discovered lately. In fact, the reveal coinciding pointedly with the Pope’s visit seems more like a disregard and revisionism towards Greek history and Greeks in general instead, as I do not see why it would otherwise feel special to reveal this mosaic “in light of the Pope’s visit” when there is nothing Latin or Christian (Catholic) about it. 

So, I am going to give you the missing information: 

They can’t all be winners…

Roman Province - Bithynia

AE23 - 6.19g

Gordian III 238-244 AD

Nicaea Mint

Obverse Μ ΑΝΤ ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟC ΑΥΓ

Bust of Gordian III right, radiate, draped, cuirassed, from front

Reverse ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ

Tyche standing left, holding rudder and cornucopiae, countermark: Nike standing right, holding wreath and palm (GIC 255, RIC 378)

Roman cult statue from Antonine period

* Claudiopolis, Bithynia

* 2nd century CE

* Bolu Museum

Attribution:

Nicomedes IV & Julius Caesar