2,400-year old skeleton mosaic from Turkey gives a message to chill out

Skeleton hanging by Linnaea Mallette CC by 1.0

A message that reverberates even in the modern age has been found written in a 2,400-year old mosaic found in Turkey. The skeleton that is drawn in the mosaic is holding a wine glass in one hand; the other hand is raised over the head and is reclining. A bread loaf and a wine pitcher are shown in the background. This unusual mosaic of a skeleton is composed of little scrupulous stone pieces and an outstanding black background. It gives a lot of motivation to the modern artists.

Above this delightful scene, these words are written in ancient Greek script, ‘be cheerful, enjoy your life’. The mosaic was unearthed in a southern Turkish province called Hatay, which is famous for mosaics and now has the largest compilation of ancient mosaics. It is located very close to the border of Syria, where a city known as Antioch used to be in existence. It was the first place in history where the devotees of Jesus were known as Christians.

The mosaic is supposed to be belonging to the riches of Third Century BC. It is interesting to note that it is also a part of series among which, one picture depicted a man trying to reach for moon. Since Roman people sometimes inscribed in Greek, it may be possible that this mosaic is from the Roman-Greek Antioch city.

This mosaic is a matter of interest to the archeologists round the world because it is not normal that skeletons from ancient world are seen offering advice that is so progressive considering those times.