Zeugma (quoted ancient)

Zeugma is the name of an ancient city located on the Euphrate and today in Turkey close to the Syrian border at the South of the country, on the antique Silk route (position: ). It roughly was occupied until the middle of the 11th century.

The city is founded towards 300 av. J. - C. by a general of the troops of Alexandre, Séleucos I {{er}}, founder of the dynasty of the Séleucides. It in fact is consisted the meeting of two primitive cities located on both sides river: Apamée (left bank) and Séleucie of Euphrate (Right Bank). This configuration and the passage on Euphrate which constitutes an important strategic position is at the origin of the name of the city Greek Zeugma in meaning bond and which supplants the name of Séleucie origin.

Side of Apamée, a broad plain requires the construction of an important rampart of 3 km circumference. Séleucie is it located on hills going up starting from the river.

In 1995 the construction of an important stopping starts on Euphrate whose lake of reserve will absorb the totality of Apamée and a good portion of Séleucie. Emergency excavations are undertaken which make it possible to put at the day a very advanced urban organization, many important buildings, temples, theater, necropolis and large residences Roman patricians which deliver an important number of murals and mosaics of an exceptional interest.

The setting in water of the stopping starts in 2000. The mosaics, murals and objects discovered are taken and gathered in the archaeological museum of Gaziantep. An examination of the site was carried out after the first draining of the tank, and the archeologists could note that the site, in spite of protections, had largely suffered from the flood and was almost destroyed.

External bonds

Site of CNRS on archaeological Zeugma
Presentation on the site of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
File on Zeugma on the site of Futura-Sciences

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