The mosaic of the warring Cupids dates back to the third century B.C.E. and may have ties to Dionysus, the patron deity of the ancient city of Teos.
Teos Archaeological ProjectThe mosaic depicting two fighting Cupids, figures associated with the Greek god Eros.
Beneath layers of soil in the ancient city of Teos, Türkiye, archaeologists have unearthed mosaics and inscriptions that reveal a hidden chapter of the site’s long history.
While excavating the city council building, researchers discovered a mosaic of Cupids in combat dating back to the third century B.C.E. They also came across a series of inscriptions on stone blocks that shed light on Teos’s artistic, religious, and architectural heritage.
Excavating The Ancient City Of Teos
Kadı/Wikimedia CommonsThe ruins of Teos, Türkiye.
Located on Türkiye’s western coast, the city of Teos was a thriving city that played a key role in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. Under Roman rule, Teos was renowned for its wine production and thriving theater culture. However, its influence waned by the third century C.E., and it was later abandoned.
No modern buildings were ever built atop the site, so when archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania began excavations in 2021, they found much of Teos well-preserved. The team focused on the bouleuterion, a city council building and the center of democratic decision-making. After five years of excavations, researchers created a detailed timeline for the structure and the renovations that took place there over the centuries.
Teos Archaeological ProjectA stone seating area that was part of the bouleuterion.
The building was likely constructed in the third century B.C.E., and it underwent a major renovation under Roman rule 400 years later. However, the greatest discovery was not the porticos or columns of the bouleuterion but rather two unique mosaics dating back to the structure’s earliest days.
A Cupid Mosaic Reveals The Lost History Of Ancient Greek Artists
While excavating the council building’s deepest layers, archaeologists came across an unexpected artistic masterpiece beneath the dirt: two elaborate mosaics. The mosaics were located in two separate rooms, and one of them features two Cupids engaged in combat. Cupid was associated with Eros, the Greek god of love, who also had ties to the wine god Dionysus — the patron deity of Teos.
Mantha Zarmakoupi, the University of Pennsylvania professor leading the excavations, recalled the moment her team uncovered the mosaic in a press release: “There’s this feeling of euphoria. You’re like, ‘Oh my god, there’s something really there.'”
In addition to the mosaics, archaeologists also discovered a block bearing an inscription that was partially erased and only visible in certain lights. These blocks would have sat high on the council building and displayed the names of the people who paid for the construction — but now they are strewn about the grounds.
Teos Archaeological ProjectThis ancient block from Teos bears an inscription that someone tried to erase.
“The inscription gives us a really valuable indication of the process by which the structures were built and who was involved,” Peter Satterthwaite, a Ph.D. student working with Zarmakoupi on the excavation, stated in the press release. “The fact that it’s erased is a clue to another chapter in the city’s history, in which they no longer wanted to commemorate that person or his involvement in the project.”
The block may have once been engraved with the name of someone associated with the Dionysian artist guild, a group that was influential in Teos before it was expelled. Researchers have organized and analyzed the blocks using 3D modeling techniques, but some of the inscriptions cannot be decoded, and further excavations of the area will be necessary to put together the missing portions.
“Every piece of this process has been revealing itself like an onion,” Zarmakoupi stated. “It peels off and another thing arrives.”
After reading about the mosaics and inscriptions found in Teos, Türkiye, learn about 12 of the most famous gods and goddesses from ancient Greek mythology. Then, go inside the true story behind the Roman Empire’s collapse.
