Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old mosaic floor dating to the Hellenistic period at Kültepe, an archaeological site in present-day central Turkey. The discovery marks the first find of its kind in the site’s 78-year excavation history. Researchers found the mosaic near Warşama Palace in Kayseri province, alongside four previously unidentified Hellenistic archaeological layers.
Researchers say the findings could reveal new details about life at the ancient settlement during a period that has received relatively little attention. The Hellenistic period, which lasted from 323 to 30 B.C., followed the death of Alexander the Great. During this time, Greek language, art, and cultural influences spread across large parts of the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia.
Ancient Greek mosaic uncovered at Kültepe
Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the discovery following the latest excavations east of Warşama Palace. The research began in 2025 under an agreement involving Turkey’s General Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Museums, Ankara University and South Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.
During the second excavation season in 2026, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a structure with a mosaic floor. The surviving section measures 163 centimeters (64 inches) from east to west and 165 centimeters (65 inches) from north to south.
Researchers also found fragments of the flooring around the building. These remains suggest that the original mosaic extended across a much larger area. The excavation revealed four distinct Hellenistic layers at the site for the first time. Archaeologists believe these layers could help explain how Kültepe developed during the centuries following Alexander’s conquests.
The discovery adds to a growing number of ancient mosaics found across Turkey. In 2023, archaeologists uncovered a massive mosaic floor with Greek and Latin inscriptions at a Roman-era villa in Kayseri province.
Mosaic reveals ancient construction techniques
The discovery also provided evidence of how builders created mosaic floors during the Hellenistic period. Archaeologists found that workers first leveled the ground before adding a foundation of crushed stone and fine soil. They then covered the base with small river pebbles. The flooring also contained ceramic fragments, lime, and other materials.
Kayseri Kültepe’de Türk ve Güney Koreli arkeologların yürüttüğü ortak kazılarda, alanın 78 yıllık araştırma geçmişinde ilk defa Helenistik Dönem'e ait taban mozaiği bulundu. Warşama Sarayı’nın doğusunda ortaya çıkarılan mozaikli yapı ve dört ayrı kültür katmanı, antik yerleşimin… pic.twitter.com/mlJU6uXuXx
— Haber Olsun (@haberolsuncom) October 20, 2026
These details offer researchers a closer look at ancient building techniques in Anatolia. However, the original purpose of the structure and the full size of its mosaic floor remain unknown. Other excavations in Turkey have uncovered similar evidence of ancient floor decoration. At the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, archaeologists discovered mosaics featuring animals, fruit and Greek inscriptions. Those mosaics belong to a later phase of the city’s history.
Discovery marks first in 78 years of excavations
Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy described the discovery as an important milestone in Kültepe’s archaeological history. In a social media announcement, Ersoy said the four Hellenistic layers were helping researchers investigate lesser-known periods of the ancient settlement. “The four distinct Hellenistic cultural layers we identified in the same area are also shedding light on the lesser-known periods of this ancient Anatolian center,” Ersoy said.
He praised excavation director Fikri Kulakoğlu and the joint Turkish-South Korean research team. He also credited Ankara University and South Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage for their contributions. Ersoy said the findings demonstrated the value of international cooperation in archaeological research.
Ancient trading center has a history spanning thousands of years
Kültepe-Kaniş was inhabited from the third millennium B.C. through the Roman period. Long before the Hellenistic era, it served as an important political and commercial center in Anatolia. The settlement was once the capital of the Kingdom of Kaniş, also known as Kanesh, before the rise of the Hittite Empire. It also played a significant role in the early development of Hittite culture.
Its Upper City contained royal palaces and temples. The Lower City included a karum, a commercial district where merchants lived and traded goods.
Archaeologists have discovered about 23,500 cuneiform tablets at Kültepe. The records document trade, business agreements, and daily life among Old Assyrian and Anatolian merchants. The collection appears on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. UNESCO added Kültepe to its Tentative World Heritage List in 2014. Despite decades of archaeological research, excavations have covered only about 5% of the site.
Further excavations to explore Kültepe’s ancient past
Researchers now plan to examine artifacts from the newly discovered Hellenistic layers alongside the building remains. They hope to establish a clearer timeline of the settlement’s development and better understand how people used the site during this period.
The findings join other discoveries that are improving knowledge of the Hellenistic era in Anatolia. In western Turkey, researchers recently studied a 2,200-year-old stone relief linked to a possible Hellenistic sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Kybele. Meanwhile, excavations at the ancient Greek city of Smyrna have revealed additional mosaic floors and wall paintings, offering further evidence of how settlements in Anatolia changed over different historical periods.
At Kültepe, the joint project will also investigate deeper archaeological layers dating from the Kingdom of Kaniş through the Hittite period. The continuing excavations aim to uncover more of Kültepe’s history while strengthening cultural heritage cooperation between Turkey and South Korea.
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