In an extraordinary archaeological effort, 1,800-year-old Roman mosaics are being carefully restored and unearthed in Pompeiopolis, an ancient city in the Taşköprü district of Kastamonu, Turkey. Once the capital of the Roman province of Paphlagonia, Pompeiopolis is home to an expansive Roman villa covering 1,600 square meters, which has suffered damage from a fire and soil shifts. Under the guidance of Associate Professor Mevlüt Eliüşük from Karabük University, the excavation team is focusing on saving these precious mosaics before they completely disappear.
The mosaics, primarily from the 5th century A.D., feature intricate geometric designs that were once a fashionable alternative to carpets in Roman homes. These floor mosaics, meticulously crafted from colored stones, are being removed, conserved, and later reinstalled without any reconstruction or additions, to preserve their authenticity.
The restoration process, involving both Turkish and Italian teams, is racing against time to prevent further deterioration caused by water damage and unstable ground conditions. Eliüşük emphasized the urgency of the project, noting that without intervention, the mosaics would have been lost within just a few years. The team’s conservation efforts aim to make the Roman villa, and its striking mosaics, accessible to visitors once again, providing a window into the luxurious lifestyles of ancient Paphlagonia.
