Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Tralleis in western Türkiye have uncovered a nearly 2,000-year-old hall featuring a well-preserved Roman-era floor mosaic depicting a hippocampus, a mythical sea creature associated with Poseidon.
The discovery was made during ongoing excavations at the bath-gymnasium complex in the ancient city, located in the Efeler district of Aydın province, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the city center.
An aerial view of the ancient city of Tralleis, Aydın, western Türkiye, July 7, 2026. (AA Photo)
The excavations are being led by professor Murat Çekilmez, a faculty member at Aydin Adnan Menderes University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, as part of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Heritage for the Future project.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Cekilmez said the team had previously uncovered what it believes to be an Olympic-style swimming pool dating to the Roman period and had continued to reveal new evidence of daily life within the bath-gymnasium complex.
