A striking archaeological discovery has emerged from the ancient city of Syedra, near in Antalya, Turkey, where excavations have uncovered a mosaic dating from between the 4th and 6th centuries AD bearing the arresting ancient Greek inscription: “May the envious burst.” The find has drawn strong interest from archaeologists for both its craftsmanship and its startlingly familiar sentiment.
Syedra, a site with a history stretching back roughly 3,000 years, is currently being excavated as part of a program led by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The work is being carried out under the direction of Associate Professor Ertug Ergurer of the Faculty of Tourism at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University. According to Ergurer, the mosaic was found in one of the largest residential buildings in the ancient city.
He described it as an exceptionally well-preserved work, decorated with geometric and floral motifs, and believed to have been laid sometime between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. Covering an area of around 15 square meters, the mosaic stands out for two inscriptions in ancient Greek.
The first, placed at its center, can be rendered as “use this with good fortune” or “with luck.” The second, positioned near the entrance, carries the phrase “may the envious burst,” an expression with an unexpectedly modern ring.
“To encounter such a phrase at the entrance of a house that is about 1,500 years old is truly remarkable,” Ergürer said, underscoring both its cultural resonance and its enduring familiarity. He added that the building is three storeys high and contains numerous rooms arranged around a central courtyard. It remained in use from the 2nd to the 7th century AD, undergoing repeated extensions and alterations by successive owners.
The mosaic stayed in remarkably good shape because later layers covered and protected it. After it was uncovered, restoration and conservation started right away.
Source: cnnturk.com
