Crocodile and eel mosaics discovered in Roman bath

During excavations in the ancient city of Heraclea in Muğla's Milas district, mosaics featuring crocodiles, dolphins, flamingos and eels have been discovered on the floor of a Roman bath that had been used as a barn by villagers for years.

Professor Zeliha Gider Büyüközer, head of the Latmos and Heracleia Excavation and a faculty member at Selçuk University's Archaeology Department, told the state-run Anadolu Agency that work at the Roman bath in the ancient city was conducted in 2024 as part of the Culture and Tourism Ministry's "Legacy to the Future" project.

She emphasized the importance of the bath, the best-preserved Roman-era structure in the area, saying:
"We uncovered the rooms of this well-preserved structure, which remains intact almost up to the roof level. We excavated more than two meters of fill. We determined the functions and usage phases of these rooms, providing significant archaeological data."

Büyüközer highlighted the mosaics in the sections they excavated, particularly in the "frigidarium" (cold room), noting the presence of crocodile depictions:
"Six depictions of crocodiles facing each other were uncovered. These mosaics sparked great interest. Observers might think crocodiles once lived in this region. While the geography is not suitable for crocodiles, the artisan who created this mosaic must have seen one to replicate it with such detail. Therefore, we believe the artisan might have been an itinerant craftsman who previously worked in regions where such crocodiles lived."

 'Depicting Animals He Observed'

In the tepidarium (warm room), designed to prevent heat loss, another well-preserved mosaic floor was uncovered.
"Here, mosaics feature four dolphins positioned in the...