Sources
Bibliography and research notes
News and institutional records about the Zile mosaic; research on ancient Zela; comparative mosaics and conservation publications. Numbered notes in the articles lead to the corresponding record here.
References to articles use printed page numbers. Each record identifies its publication date and the subject it supports. Republication of the same agency report is not treated as independent research. Original source titles are retained, with English renderings where useful.
Academic publications and excavation reports
S6
Emel Erten, Olba 2015 Kazılarından Yeni Bir Buluntu: Roma Mozaiği (opens in a new tab) [A new find from the 2015 Olba excavations: a Roman mosaic]
Seleucia 6 (2016), pp. 61–91 · Seleucia
Content and use
Content: Excavation research on the Olba pavement’s figures, setting, workmanship and proposed date.
Use: Concerns Olba. A bath function is not established. The PDF’s printed pagination is 61–91.
Comparison and general contextAcademic article · full text2016S8
Nur Deniz Ünsal, Derya Şahin, Tryphe ve Bios Mozaiği’nin İkonografik ve İkonolojik Açıdan Değerlendirilmesi (opens in a new tab) [An iconographic and iconological assessment of the Tryphe and Bios mosaic]
Journal of Mosaic Research 16 (2023), pp. 377–387 · DOI 10.26658/jmr.1376865 · Journal of Mosaic Research
Content and use
Content: Peer-reviewed art-historical study of Tryphe and Bios, their objects and comparative images.
Use: Published in 2023; it does not study the 2025 Zile discovery.
Comparison and general contextPeer-reviewed article · full text2023S13
Murat Tekin, Şengül Dilek Ful, Hatice Uyanık, Aygün Kalınbayrak Ercan, Hakan Eraslan, 2022 Yılı Zile Kalesi Antik Tiyatrosu Arkeolojik Kazı Çalışmaları (opens in a new tab) [Archaeological excavations at the Zile Castle Ancient Theatre in 2022]
43rd Excavation Results Meeting (Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı), vol. 6 (2024), pp. 151–160 · Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Content and use
Content: Architectural findings and excavation record for the Zile Castle theatre’s 2022 season.
Use: A separate site from the mosaic area. Printed pp. 151–160; PDF pp. 153–162.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextOfficial excavation report · full text2024S14
Murat Tekin et al., 2023 Yılı Zile Kalesi Antik Tiyatrosu Arkeolojik Kazı Çalışmaları (opens in a new tab) [Archaeological excavations at the Zile Castle Ancient Theatre in 2023]
44th Excavation Results Meeting (Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı), vol. 2 (2025), pp. 439–449 · Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Content and use
Content: The 2023 season report describing the theatre’s seating, orchestra, materials and excavation limits.
Use: Not a plan of the mosaic building. Printed pp. 439–449; PDF pp. 441–451.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextOfficial excavation report · full text2025S22
Şehrigül Yeşil, Reburial of Mosaics: Field Experiment Comparing Six Different Systems Based on the Results of Monitoring Station in Perge (opens in a new tab)
Journal of Mosaic Research 14 (2021), pp. 363–387 · Journal of Mosaic Research
Content and use
Content: Field research comparing six reburial systems at Perge through measured conditions.
Use: Approximately 110 m² and 2017–2018 data; results cannot be transferred directly to Zile.
Comparison and general contextPeer-reviewed experimental study · full text2021S26
Murat Tekin, Antik Çağ Anadolusu’nda Kadim Bir Kült Merkezi: Zela Tapınak Devleti Üzerine Güncel Bir Değerlendirme (opens in a new tab) [An ancient cult centre in Anatolia in antiquity: a current assessment of the temple state of Zela]
Karadeniz İncelemeleri Dergisi 38 (2025), pp. 91–126 · Karadeniz İncelemeleri Dergisi
Content and use
Content: Academic reassessment of the Zela temple state, Anziliya and Anaitis.
Use: Does not establish uninterrupted cult continuity; not a monograph on the mosaic.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextPeer-reviewed article · full text2025
Museum catalogues and museum research essays
S10
Catalogued by Neda Leipen, Wall mosaic with allegorical representation of Life and Easy Living (opens in a new tab)
Inventory 967.132 · Royal Ontario Museum
Content and use
Content: Museum record for the Tryphe–Bios panel, about AD 350–400, inventory 967.132.
Use: Provenance is recorded as “said to be from Emesa”.
Comparison and general contextPrimary museum recordOnline collection recordS15
Christine Kondoleon, Introduction (opens in a new tab)
Alexis Belis, Roman Mosaics in the J. Paul Getty Museum (2016) · J. Paul Getty Museum
Content and use
Content: Museum-catalogue introduction discussing materials, workmanship and the spatial experience of Roman mosaics.
Use: General art-historical context, not an analysis of materials at Zile.
Comparison and general contextScholarly museum catalogue2016S16
Katharine Raff, The Roman Banquet (opens in a new tab)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 2011
Content and use
Content: Research on elite Roman banquets, tableware and spaces for hospitality.
Use: Not direct evidence for the function of the room at Zile.
Comparison and general contextMuseum research essayS17
Carolyn Laferrière, Mosaic pavement depicting the drinking contest between Herakles and Dionysos (opens in a new tab)
Inventory y1965-216 · Princeton University Art Museum
Content and use
Content: Museum record on the Antioch/Seleucia pavement’s imagery, geometric fields and dining-room interpretation.
Use: A separate work from Zile; early third century AD, inventory y1965-216.
Comparison and general contextPrimary museum recordOnline collection recordS18
Fragment of a Floor Mosaic with a Personification of Ktisis (opens in a new tab)
Inventory 1998.69; 1999.99 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Content and use
Content: Museum record on Ktisis, the measuring instrument, inscription and modern restoration.
Use: AD 500–550; neither Tryphe nor a Zile find. The museum image is Public Domain.
Comparison and general contextPrimary museum recordOnline collection recordS27
Gravestone of Tryphe (opens in a new tab)
Inventory y1992-48 · Princeton University Art Museum
Content and use
Content: Museum record for a gravestone commemorating a woman named Tryphe, about 150–100 BC.
Use: Documents the personal name; it does not identify the Zile figure.
Comparison and general contextPrimary museum recordOnline collection record
Conservation manuals and institutional programmes
S19
Livia Alberti, Elsa Bourguignon, Thomas Roby, Technician Training for the Maintenance of In Situ Mosaics (opens in a new tab)
Getty Conservation Institute · Institut National du Patrimoine · 2013
Content and use
Content: Technical manual on mosaic condition records, deterioration, treatment and maintenance.
Use: Provides general conservation guidance, not a condition report for Zile.
Comparison and general contextTechnical manualS20
Thomas Roby, John Stewart, Martha Demas, Livia Alberti, The Reburial of Mosaics: Literature Review and Training and Planning Documents (opens in a new tab)
Getty Conservation Institute · 2024
Content and use
Content: Research on planning, fill, care and monitoring for the reburial of archaeological mosaics.
Use: Not used as evidence of a treatment carried out at Zile.
Comparison and general contextScholarly conservation publicationS21
ICCROM
Content and use
Content: Institutional programme connecting mosaic conservation, training and site management in the Mediterranean.
Use: A programme framework, not a project record prepared for Zile.
Comparison and general contextInstitutional programme recordOnline programme page
Ancient texts
S11
Strabo, Geography 12.3.37 (opens in a new tab)
LacusCurtius · University of Chicago
Content and use
Content: Strabo’s account of the sanctuary and domain at Zela and Pompey’s reorganisation.
Use: An ancient author’s account, not a modern excavation report.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextPrimary ancient textAncient text · online editionS12
Strabo, Geography 11.8.4–5 (opens in a new tab)
LacusCurtius · University of Chicago
Content and use
Content: Ancient account of Anaitis, Omanos, Anadates and the Sakaia festival.
Use: Transmits more than one tradition about the festival’s origins.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextPrimary ancient textAncient text · online editionS16A
Caesarian corpus (author uncertain), Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum) 72–77 (opens in a new tab)
LacusCurtius · University of Chicago
Content and use
Content: Ancient account of the terrain around Zela and the course of the battle in 47 BC.
Use: Transmitted in the Caesarian corpus; authorship is uncertain.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextPrimary ancient narrativeAncient text · online editionS16B
Suetonius, Divus Iulius 37.2 (opens in a new tab)
LacusCurtius · University of Chicago
Content and use
Content: Passage describing the “Veni, vidi, vici” placard in the Pontic triumph.
Use: This passage does not state that the words were spoken on the battlefield or sent in a letter to the Senate.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextPrimary ancient narrativeAncient text · online editionS17A
Vitruvius, On Architecture (De architectura) 7.1 (opens in a new tab)
LacusCurtius · University of Chicago
Content and use
Content: Vitruvius’s construction account of pavement layers and preparing the base.
Use: Excavated pavements are not assumed to follow the recipe exactly.
Comparison and general contextPrimary ancient textAncient text · online edition
Lexicon
S9
Liddell–Scott–Jones, τρυφή (opens in a new tab)
A Greek–English Lexicon · Scaife ATLAS / Perseus
Content and use
Content: Lexicon entry explaining the meanings and uses of the Ancient Greek word τρυφή.
Use: Defines the word; identification of an individual image requires other evidence.
Comparison and general contextScholarly lexicon entryOnline lexicon entry
Local and official records
S3
Mozaik kazısında inceleme (opens in a new tab) [Inspection at the mosaic excavation]
Zile Municipality · 16 July 2025
Content and use
Content: The municipality’s notice of a site inspection on 16 July 2025.
Use: Documents an institutional visit, not current visitor arrangements.
Zile mosaicLocal official event recordS4
Tokat/Zile’de enstitümüz Tarih Anabilim Dalı öğretim üyeleri ve lisansüstü öğrencileri, Tokat Müzesi tarafından yürütülen mozaik kurtarma kazısına katıldı (opens in a new tab) [Faculty members and graduate students of our institute’s Department of History took part in the mosaic rescue excavation conducted by Tokat Museum in Zile, Tokat]
Amasya University, Graduate School of Social Sciences · 17 July 2025
Content and use
Content: Record of Amasya University faculty and graduate-student participation in the rescue excavation.
Use: A notice concerning the 2025 work conducted by Tokat Museum.
Zile mosaicOfficial participation recordS7
Zile Kalesi (opens in a new tab) [Zile Castle]
Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism · Kültür Portalı · 12 November 2025 (updated)
Content and use
Content: Official cultural-inventory record on Zile Castle and its general historical setting.
Use: Not used to establish the Tryphe mosaic’s technique or date.
Zile: theatre and ancient contextOfficial cultural inventory
News agency reports
Six reports come from three agency families: DHA, AA and İHA. Agency copy republished on other websites is not independent field reporting; these reports are used as records of dates, statements and specialists’ words.
S1
Tokat’ta izinsiz kazıda Antik Yunanca yazı bulundu (opens in a new tab) [Ancient Greek inscription found in illegal dig in Tokat]
Demirören News Agency (DHA) · 7 May 2025
Content and use
Content: Report documenting the initial exposure, the inscription ΤΡΥΦΗ and the events of May 2025.
Use: Approximately 3 × 3 metres describes the first opening, not the entire pavement.
Zile mosaicLocal news reportNews agency: DHAS2
Kaçak kazıda ortaya çıkarılan Roma mozaiği Zile’nin tanıtımına katkı sunacak (opens in a new tab) [Roman mosaic uncovered in illegal dig will help promote Zile]
Anadolu Agency (AA) · 10 May 2025
Content and use
Content: Murat Tekin’s assessment of the Roman date, lower settlement and proximity to the theatre.
Use: A statement reported in the press, rather than a detailed excavation publication.
Zile mosaicNews report · statement by Murat TekinNews agency: AAS5
Tokat’ta ‘Çingene Kızı’ benzeri mozaik gün yüzüne çıktı (opens in a new tab) [Mosaic resembling the ‘Gypsy Girl’ comes to light in Tokat]
Demirören News Agency (DHA) · 5 May 2026
Content and use
Content: Report of Alper Yılmaz’s identification of the personification, two techniques and second-century stylistic features.
Use: The date is attributed to Yılmaz; the report does not establish a common workshop or definite building function.
Zile mosaicNews report · Alper Yılmaz’s statement after examining the mosaic on siteNews agency: DHAS23
Roma dönemine ait mozaik bulundu (opens in a new tab) [Mosaic from the Roman period found]
Anadolu Agency (AA) · agency copy published on Odatv · 27 May 2025
Content and use
Content: AA report recording the start of rescue work, team size and initial campaign plan.
Use: An erroneous institution name is not repeated; no exact start day is given.
Zile mosaicLocal news reportNews agency: AAS24
Tokat’ta mozaik bulunan alanda başlatılan kazı çalışması tamamlandı (opens in a new tab) [Excavation started at the mosaic site in Tokat has been completed]
Anadolu Agency (AA) · agency copy published on Habertürk · 23 June 2025
Content and use
Content: AA report on the end of the initial campaign, further scenes and a request for more excavation.
Use: The palace interpretation is attributed to Ekrem Anaç, not established by a complete plan.
Zile mosaicLocal news reportNews agency: AAS25
Yasin Kıras, İkinci Zeugma Tokat’ta gün yüzüne çıkartılıyor (opens in a new tab) [A second Zeugma is coming to light in Tokat]
İhlas News Agency (İHA) · agency copy published on Adana Masası · 6 May 2026
Content and use
Content: Interview with Semih Yaşar Çizikci on room traces, a possible courtyard and a proposed villa.
Use: The broad date range in the news introduction is distinguished from the specialist’s remarks.
Zile mosaicNews report · interview with Semih Yaşar ÇizikciNews agency: İHA
Image sources
P1
Historic mosaic unearthed in Zile reveals Türkiye’s ancient past (opens in a new tab)
Daily Sabah · photograph: Anadolu Agency (AA), 7 May 2025 · 12 May 2025
Content and use
Content: Daily Sabah report publishing an early photograph of the Zile mosaic, credited to AA.
Use: Attribution does not establish reuse permission.
Zile mosaicNews report · image sourceNews agency: AAP2
MOSAIKON Initiative — condition survey photograph (opens in a new tab)
Getty Conservation Institute; photograph Scott S. Warren
Content and use
Content: Getty photograph showing a MOSAIKON participant carrying out condition recording at Paphos.
Use: Does not depict conservation work at Zile.
Comparison and general contextInstitutional image recordUndated · project page