Antakya Archaeological Museum
Encyclopedia
Construction of the Antakya
Archaeological Museum
, the Archaeological Museum of Hatay Province
of Turkey
, started in 1934 on the recommendation of the French archaeologist, M. Henri Prost
. It was completed in 1938. In 1939, when a plebiscite united the province of Hatay with Turkey, the museum came under Turkish control. It was reorganized and reopened in 1948. In 1975 the Antakya Archaeological Museum was reopened once again, after modern reorganization.
Hatay has a rich collection of mosaics. The works in the museum are arranged according to where they were found. There are objects found by excavations carried out by the London British Museum
, the Chicago Oriental Institute
and Princeton University
. Excavations have been carried out at barrows, tell
s and ruins such as Guneyde, Dehep, Catalhoyuk
, Tainat, Al Mina
, Ac-ana, Defne-Harbiye and so on. There is also a collection of objects from Antakya and its surrounding regions. The works are exhibited in the seven rooms and two halls of the museum.
Statues and mosaics date from the second to fifth centuries AD. They ahave been found in Defne-Harbiye, Samandagi, Antakya
and Tarsus
. The most famous figures among those depicted by the mosaics are the drunken Dionysas, Orpheus, Dancers, Ariadne Abandoned from Defne (Yakto). Column capitals, a acrificial altar, an cult image, a bas-relief, a fresco and statues date from the Hittites
to Roman
periods. They were found by excavations in barrows in the plain of Amik.
Mosaics and statues date from the Roman period (first to fourth centuries AD). They were found in excavations at Defne - Harbiye, Antakya and Samandag.
Mosaics, grave steles and statues are found at the sites of several ruins in the province of Hatay
. In the show cases are various small stone and pottery objects found in btumuli
.
In the seventh room is an exhibition of examples that reflect the art and culture of the region, from the Paleolithic Age up till the present day. The objects are displayed in wall niches. Against the other walls of the room are cases in which are displayed a coin collection arranged chronologically.
Exhibited in nine cases in the Treasury Room is women's jewelry from various periods. They were made of gold and other valuable metals.
Besides the exhibition rooms, there is a room for temporary exhibitions, a conference hall, a laboratory, depots and offices. In the garden of the museum are Roman period sarcophagi, building stones, water jars etc.
Antakya
Antakya is the seat of the Hatay Province in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria. The mayor is Lütfü Savaş.Known as Antioch in ancient times, the city has historical significance for Christianity, as it was the place where the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first...
Archaeological Museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, the Archaeological Museum of Hatay Province
Hatay Province
Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. It is bordered by Syria to the south and east and the Turkish provinces of Adana and Osmaniye to the north. The province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of...
of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, started in 1934 on the recommendation of the French archaeologist, M. Henri Prost
Henri Prost
Henri Prost was a French architect and town planner. He was noted in particularly for his work in Morocco and designed a number of city streets and buildings between 1914 and 1922, including Casablanca, Fès, Marrakech, Meknès and Rabat.He was the co-founder in 1911 of the French Society of...
. It was completed in 1938. In 1939, when a plebiscite united the province of Hatay with Turkey, the museum came under Turkish control. It was reorganized and reopened in 1948. In 1975 the Antakya Archaeological Museum was reopened once again, after modern reorganization.
Hatay has a rich collection of mosaics. The works in the museum are arranged according to where they were found. There are objects found by excavations carried out by the London British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, the Chicago Oriental Institute
Oriental Institute
Oriental Institute may refer to a number of institutes of Oriental studies:United States* Oriental Institute, Chicago, part of the University of ChicagoEngland* Oriental Institute, Oxford, part of the University of Oxford...
and Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Excavations have been carried out at barrows, tell
Tell
A tell or tel, is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides.-Archaeology:A tell is a hill created by different civilizations living and...
s and ruins such as Guneyde, Dehep, Catalhoyuk
Çatalhöyük
Çatalhöyük was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 5700 BCE...
, Tainat, Al Mina
Al Mina
Al-Mina is the modern name given by Leonard Woolley to an ancient trading post on the Mediterranean coast of northern Syria, in the estuary of the Orontes, near present-day Samandag in Turkey's province of Hatay....
, Ac-ana, Defne-Harbiye and so on. There is also a collection of objects from Antakya and its surrounding regions. The works are exhibited in the seven rooms and two halls of the museum.
Statues and mosaics date from the second to fifth centuries AD. They ahave been found in Defne-Harbiye, Samandagi, Antakya
Antakya
Antakya is the seat of the Hatay Province in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria. The mayor is Lütfü Savaş.Known as Antioch in ancient times, the city has historical significance for Christianity, as it was the place where the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first...
and Tarsus
Tarsus
Tarsus may refer to:*Tarsus , a cluster of articulating bones in each foot** Tarsometatarsus, a fusion of the tarsus and metatarsus mainly found in birds...
. The most famous figures among those depicted by the mosaics are the drunken Dionysas, Orpheus, Dancers, Ariadne Abandoned from Defne (Yakto). Column capitals, a acrificial altar, an cult image, a bas-relief, a fresco and statues date from the Hittites
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
to Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
periods. They were found by excavations in barrows in the plain of Amik.
Mosaics and statues date from the Roman period (first to fourth centuries AD). They were found in excavations at Defne - Harbiye, Antakya and Samandag.
Mosaics, grave steles and statues are found at the sites of several ruins in the province of Hatay
Hatay Province
Hatay Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. It is bordered by Syria to the south and east and the Turkish provinces of Adana and Osmaniye to the north. The province is part of Çukurova, a geographical, economical and cultural region that covers the provinces of...
. In the show cases are various small stone and pottery objects found in btumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
.
In the seventh room is an exhibition of examples that reflect the art and culture of the region, from the Paleolithic Age up till the present day. The objects are displayed in wall niches. Against the other walls of the room are cases in which are displayed a coin collection arranged chronologically.
Exhibited in nine cases in the Treasury Room is women's jewelry from various periods. They were made of gold and other valuable metals.
Besides the exhibition rooms, there is a room for temporary exhibitions, a conference hall, a laboratory, depots and offices. In the garden of the museum are Roman period sarcophagi, building stones, water jars etc.