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Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old mosaic in central Türkiye
The mosaic was found at Kültepe-Kanesh in Kayseri province, where digging began in 1948; only a 163 by 165 centimetre section survives, so the rest is still missing.
Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 11:03 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Daily Sabah's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Daily Sabah: “Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old mosaic in central Türkiye | Daily Sabah”, with reporting from Türkiye Today.
- Covered on BBN on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 11:03 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger.
- Topics: Türkiye.
- BBN covered this story before: Archaeologists in Türkiye may have found the world's oldest shipwreck (October 15).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- Daily SabahArchaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old mosaic in central Türkiye | Daily Sabah
- Türkiye TodayTürkiye's Kultepe reveals 2,000-year-old mosaic in archaeological first - Türkiye Today October 20, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorArchaeologists in central Türkiye have uncovered a two-thousand-year-old mosaic, the first of its kind found at the Kültepe-Kanesh site. Lola Cruz is there now.

Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentHank, I'm standing at the edge of the trench in Kayseri province, and the excavation behind me has been running since nineteen forty-eight.

Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentIn all that time, the dig had never turned up a mosaic. Today it did.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSeventy-eight years.

Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentThe surviving section measures one hundred sixty-three centimetres east to west and one hundred sixty-five north to south.

Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentIt sits on levelled ground, crushed stone, fine soil and a layer of small river pebbles. Other flooring fragments nearby suggest the original covered a much larger area.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSorry, a hundred sixty-three by a hundred sixty-five. That's a doormat.

Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentCorrect.

Lola Cruz · Senior Field CorrespondentCulture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced it on social media, and he says four distinct Hellenistic cultural layers in the same area are shedding light on lesser-known periods. I have covered longer campaigns for less.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSeventy-eight years, and the first thing the ground gives up is the floor. Brock, is there anything under your forecast?
More Shorts
All videos →The story so far
- World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkiye · Al Jazeera
- World's oldest known shipwreck may have been found off Türkiye · CGTN
- Archaeologists in Türkiye may have found the world's oldest shipwreck · FOX Weather
- Archaeologists uncover 2,000-year-old mosaic in central Türkiye (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months

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