Zeugma Mosaic Museum, in the city of Gaziantep, Turkey, is the biggest mosaic museum in the world, containing 1700m² of mosaics. The museum's Hellenistic Greek and Roman mosaics are focused on Zeugma, which is said to have been founded as Seleucia by Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Kingdom, after serving as a hetairoi military officer in the army of Alexander the Great.
In Greek, “zeugma” means bridge of boats (ζεύγωμα), referring to those tied together to connect the two banks of the Euphrates. Zeugma, the largest city on the eastern border of the Roman Empire and located on the banks of the Euphrates River, maintained its grandeur until the 3rd century AD, and was a very important commercial centre.
Amongst the wonderful mosaics housed in the Zeugma Museum is the Gipsy Girl. The identity of the girl in this mosaic — depicting a woman who attracts the attention of the whole world with her mysterious gaze and has become the symbol of Zeugma — is unknown.
This figure, attracting curiosity with its impressive expression, resembled a gypsy girl, which is why the mosaic was given this name. Based on some details in the mosaic, however, it has also been suggested that she was an important dignitary figure in classical mythology, in a sense, Gaia, who is the mother of all gods and goddesses. The Gypsy Girl, however, is nothing but eyes. No part of her makes her foreign or insists on her difference. She is whatever you would like her to be. Give her a familiar name, and she becomes one of us, whereas a “Gypsy” is rootless in her wandering, easily exotic, and malleable.
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
The 'Did you Know' series is supported by The Hellenic Initiative Canada.
