The town of Zeugma, now in Turkey, was to be lost permanently to an artificial lake after a dam was finished in 2000. Zeugma is said to have been founded as Seleucia by Seleucus I Nicator. He is a rather big name: a general in Alexander the Great’s army, he went on to found the Seleucid Empire after Alexander’s death.
When the planned flooding came to the attention of the international archaeology community, a major effort was made to save some of the town’s treasures. Many mosaics were removed and placed in their own museum. Including the one above!
