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StumbleUponHatay Archaeological Museum, Antakya
Photo
George Langenberg.
Mosaic in the museum. Photo
George Langenberg.Location map and aerial view of the museum. For a larger
view see our Antakya Map or get our free Google Earth download.
The Hatay Archaeological Museum is an excellent museum of ancient art in Antakya, Turkey. Its collections include most of the mosaics from ancient Antioch that were discovered in 1932-39, and is thus sometimes known as the "Mosaic Museum."
History
Construction of the the Hatay Archaeological Museum began in 1934, inspired in part by the excavations of ancient Antioch that began in 1932 and on the recommendation of the French archaeologist M. Prost. The museum was completed in 1938, and a year later the Hatay province was reunited with Turkey. The museum was reorganized and reopened in 1948, and again in 1975.
What to See
The collection of the Hatay Archaeological Museum is spread throughout seven rooms and two halls, and is arranged according to where the artifacts were found.
The highlights of the mosaic collection including the Drinking Contest, the Megalopsychia Hunt Mosaic with its border providing a tour of Antioch and Daphne, the Boat of Psyches, a rare Menander with Glykera and Comedy, the Buffet Supper and the interesting Evil Eye.
In addition to mosaics, the Hatay Archaeological Museum displays many artifacts discovered in Antioch and its surrounding regions. These include column capitals, a sacrificial altar, idols, reliefs, grave steles, pottery objects, frescoes, coins, jewelry, and statues that date from Hittite to Roman periods.
The museum's garden contains Roman period sarcophagi, building stones, water jars, and other objects, as well as a mosaic from the Church of Seleucia Pieria.
To explore many of the museum's exhibits yourself, see our extensive photo galleries:
