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WED. 10/04/2000

Adyaman Museum and Samsat

The Adyaman Museum in Adyaman has the only remaining artifacts from the ancient town of Samsat.  When the waters of the Euphrates due to the Ataturk Dam, Samsat was one of five ancient sites submerged under the rising waters.  In addition, 90 modern towns and villages were also subjected to flooding.  Samsat was a large city, with as many as 40,000 inhabitants, and was the birthplace of Mithradates, the father of Antiochus I, who became the Commagene King, and builder of Nemrut Dagh.  As an archaeological site, Samsat was important because the findings dated back to the Calcolithic period, like the bowls shown here, and continued through to modern times, telling an almost uninterrupted tale of civilization.

A bust of Antiochus I found at Samsat.

A bust of the god Zeus.

Glass from the 12th to 13th century.

A piece of a scene from Byzantine times showing the tree of life.

The Adyman Museum director showed us these gold items of the 13th Century, made in the Islamic style.  They're so valuable they are not on display, but instead are kept in a safe.

This mosaic was removed from the palace of King Mithridates.

The site of old Samsat.  The road ends when it disappears into the waters of the Euphrates.

We stopped in new Samsat, the town built by the government for the people who were displaced because of the flooding of their old town.  They were curious to see our video crew, and greeted us with friendliness and warmth.  We found an older man who remembered his old town fondly, and was sad about the loss of community, as many people from old Samsat moved away.  But he understands the economic needs of the region, and the value of the dam to the people and the future.