Archaeologists have uncovered a large Roman-era floor mosaic in a villa at Adramytteion, an ancient city on Turkey’s Aegean coast. The mosaic includes 15 panels depicting animals and mythological figures, including a cat and a dog identified by Greek inscriptions as Emerald and Ocean.
According to Live Science, the villa was excavated in 2025 and early 2026 by a team led by Hüseyin Özgen of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. The residence dates to the late second to third centuries A.D. and included three halls arranged around a central atrium, along with additional rooms and a system of pipes and drains that may have served a latrine.
The mosaic occupied what archaeologists believe was the villa’s main reception hall. Measuring about 16.4 by 11.8 feet (5 by 3.6 meters), it was arranged in three rows and created with tiles in colors including white, black, red, orange, yellow, pink, burgundy, blue, turquoise and green.
Most of the panels show birds, fish and felines. Two others draw on mythology: one appears to show a gorgon, possibly Medusa, while another may depict the winged horse Pegasus. The central image appears to represent Medusa, although the identification remains tentative.
One panel shows a pale cat seated on a blue-green cushion. Greek letters above the animal spell Zmaragdin, meaning “Emerald.” The cat’s relaxed pose and placement on a cushion may indicate that it was a household pet, though researchers say the image could also have represented a familiar animal associated with the residence.
A second labeled panel depicts a running or leaping dog. Its inscription reads Okeanos, meaning “Ocean.” Özgen suggested that the name may have reflected Adramytteion’s setting as a harbor city, but this is an interpretation rather than a confirmed explanation.
In a study forthcoming in the Journal of Mosaic Research, Özgen wrote that Emerald and Ocean may have been familiar to the villa’s residents and that their images could have served as signs of household identity or ownership. Research at Adramytteion is continuing.
