Archaeologists excavating the ancient Greek city of Adramytteion (Greek: Ἀδραμύττιον) in today’s Turkey have uncovered an elaborate Roman villa with colorful mosaics, frescoed walls, and images of household pets identified by name.
The nearly 2,000-year-old residence also had drainage channels and pipelines, offering a detailed look at life among the city’s prosperous residents.
Researchers found the villa in the Ören neighborhood of Burhaniye district in Balıkesir province, where excavations have continued since 2012. They are investigating an area of about 9,000 square meters containing remains from several periods of the city’s history.
The Roman residential complex was built around a central atrium and included three large halls decorated with mosaics and frescoes. Similar discoveries in Turkey earlier have revealed how mosaics decorated homes and other buildings during the Roman period.
In the northern hall at Adramytteion, archaeologists identified 15 mosaic panels depicting birds, fish and a winged horse. The horse provides a link to Adramytteion’s much earlier past. The same motif appeared on coins minted by the city in the fourth century B.C. Its use in the villa roughly five centuries later suggests the image remained associated with the city’s identity.
Mosaics reveal pets and distant connections
Some mosaics offer a more personal glimpse of the household. Images of a cat and dog appear alongside inscriptions that apparently identify the animals by name. Dr. Hüseyin Murat Özgen, head of the Adramytteion Research Team at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, said the cat’s name translates as “Emerald.” The dog was called “Okyanos,” or Ocean.
Other mosaics depict Medusa and Gorgon figures, as well as pygmy figures interacting with birds. Medusa also appeared in mosaics discovered at a second-century Roman villa in Italy. Similar pygmy imagery is associated with North African mosaic traditions.
Archaeologists in western Turkey have uncovered a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman villa filled with colorful mosaics including images of a cat and dog identified by name.
The lavish home also reveals possible links to North Africa and the wider Mediterranean world. pic.twitter.com/hedmYs4dnd
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) August 28, 2026
Özgen said the artwork could provide clues about the villa’s owner. Adramytteion was a trading city with two harbors and links across the eastern Mediterranean. The imagery raises the possibility that the residence belonged to a wealthy merchant with commercial or cultural ties to North Africa.
Decorations and artifacts from the eastern hall indicate the villa was in use during the second century A.D. The complex later changed. After destruction during the Roman period, another hall was built south of the central area in the fourth or fifth century A.D.
Earlier foundations show a changing city
Archaeologists also uncovered foundations of a substantial Hellenistic structure beneath the Roman remains. Builders reused parts of those foundations, showing how the site was adapted across different periods. Archaeological work at ancient Pergamon in western Turkey has similarly revealed a major Greco-Roman residential complex with elaborate mosaics and evidence of changing occupation.
The villa also contained drainage channels, pipelines and installations serving wet areas. Combined with its richly decorated rooms, the infrastructure points to a high-status residence designed for both comfort and display. Other Roman residences have preserved similar evidence of elite domestic life, including a Roman villa in Kefalonia with mosaic floors, a cistern, well and lead water pipe.
The Balıkesir National Forces Museum Directorate is leading the excavations with permission from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and scientific consultancy from Özgen.
Excavations are continuing as researchers investigate the residential quarter and seek further evidence about the people who lived there and Adramytteion’s links with the wider Mediterranean world.
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