Turkish Culture Minister Gunay introduced a ceramic mosaic of the mythic poet Orpheus.
Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay introduced a ceramic mosaic of the mythic poet Orpheus brought from the Dallas Museum of Art to the media at a ceremony in Istanbul on Saturday.
The Dallas Museum of Art has returned Orpheus Mosaic to Turkey after learning that the piece was likely looted from an archaeological site in Turkey after a memorandum of understanding was signed between Turkish and the Dallas Museum of Art officials.
Gunay said that the mosaic would be exhibited at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums for a while and then the piece would be taken to Sanliurfa Museum where it belonged to.
The Orpheus Mosaic (A.D. 194) is known as the earliest Edessa mosaic that archaeologists have dated so far. Edessa is the Hellenistic name given to Sanliurfa. The mosaic was taken abroad by smugglers after its discovery by J.B. Segal in 1950 in Sanliurfa. Turkey’s Aktuel Arkeoloji (Contemporary Archaeology) magazine earlier this year launched a campaign to return the Orpheus Mosaic back to Turkey.
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Reported by Anatolia Agency
