Ancient Byzantine mosaics in modern-day northern Turkey show how Greek influence shaped an early Christian picture of the biblical Garden of Eden, according to a new study. The church floor portrays the four rivers of paradise as human figures resembling classical river gods, combining older artistic traditions with Christian beliefs.
The artwork lies in the Church of the Four Rivers at Hadrianoupolis, near Eskipazar in Turkey’s Karabük province. Excavations at the ancient city began in 2003. The city also served as a regional bishopric. Researchers believe the church was built in the fifth or sixth century, although its exact construction date remains uncertain.
A panel near the eastern end of the central aisle depicts Phison, Geon, the Tigris and the Euphrates, named in Genesis 2:10-14. Greek inscriptions identify the rivers. The figures wear Phrygian-style caps and cloth around their waists, while their partly exposed bodies recall Greek and Roman depictions of river gods.
Greek influence and Christian meaning in the biblical Garden of Eden
The figures each hold a horn of plenty, with water flowing into a shared pool where fish appear. Their other hands are raised in greeting. The researchers link the horns and fish to ideas of divine abundance, baptism, and spiritual renewal, suggesting the design was intended to communicate more than decoration.
The study, by Karabük University researchers Nurgül Özer Uras and Mustafa Göregen, was published in a 2026 issue of the journal Medeniyet Kültürel Araştırmalar Belleteni. The authors compared the mosaics with the biblical account and interpretations by Jewish scholar Saadya Gaon and Christian thinkers including Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome.
Ambrose associated each river with a virtue: Phison with prudence, Geon with courage, the Tigris with temperance, and the Euphrates with justice.
The authors say such readings may explain how the images helped worshippers connect the story of Eden with moral guidance. Augustine, however, defended the rivers as actual waterways, illustrating the range of early interpretations.
Older protective symbols remained in Byzantine church art
Other floor mosaics offer clues to the church’s religious world. A Maltese cross motif near a southeastern doorway may have been meant to ward off evil, reflecting the survival of protective symbols as Christianity spread. Surviving panels also include bulls, birds, and decorative plant patterns.
The church was damaged and later rebuilt, but the cause of its destruction is unknown. Some mosaics survive only in fragments. Comparable images of paradise’s rivers appear in early churches in Greece, Jordan, and Libya, although the researchers consider the Hadrianoupolis example unusually detailed for Anatolia.
The study does not establish where Eden stood. Instead, it suggests the mosaics show how Byzantine artists adapted familiar ancient imagery to teach biblical stories and express Christian beliefs.
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