Düzce Konuralp Museum

Düzce Konuralp Museum – Düzce

Established to preserve and showcase the rich cultural heritage of the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium (Konuralp), the Düzce Konuralp Museum opened to visitors in 2003. The museum consists of three exhibition halls, a laboratory, two storage rooms, a conference hall, and administrative offices.
Its collection includes 1,848 archaeological artifacts, 491 ethnographic items, and 3,898 coins, totaling 6,237 objects.

Archaeology Hall

In the Archaeology Hall, artifacts from various periods—from the Bronze Age (3000–2000 BCE) to the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) era (395–1453 CE)—are displayed chronologically. The exhibits include terracotta and marble figurines, metal objects, jewelry, glass vessels, and grave goods.

Many sculptures discovered in the Konuralp Ancient City were taken out of the region long ago and are displayed in other museums. The most notable among them is the Statue of Tykhe, whose cast is exhibited in the Archaeology Hall. The original is housed in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.
The Tykhe statue is a 2nd-century CE Roman copy of a 4th-century BCE Greek work. The richly adorned goddess of fate, fortune, and prosperity wears a crown shaped like a city wall decorated with olive leaves. On her left arm she holds a cornucopia filled with fruits and carries a child representing Plutos, the symbol of wealth. Tykhe, one of the daughters of Okeanos, was believed to be the protective deity of cities, and each city had its own Tykhe depicted with a mural crown.

Stone Artifacts Hall

The highlight of the Stone Artifacts Hall is the Orpheus Mosaic, which once decorated the floor of a Roman-period building. Covering approximately 45 square meters, the mosaic has been fully conserved and is displayed in its entirety.
At the center, Orpheus is depicted playing his lyre, surrounded by representations of the seasons. Orpheus, a legendary hero, was believed to charm nature and pacify wild beasts with his music. Around the mosaic are figures such as lions, tigers, and peacocks, while the four corners feature personifications of the four seasons in female bust form.

Another significant work in this hall is the Statue of the God Janus. Janus, the two-faced Roman deity with one face looking forward and the other backward, symbolizes transitions and protection. One face watched over those entering the city, and the other over those leaving, ensuring the city's safety. His image also appears on Roman coins.

Ethnography Hall

The Ethnography Hall displays a variety of traditional cultural items, including embroidery, local costumes, ornaments, kitchenware, lighting tools, scales, personal belongings, swords, rifles, and other ethnographic objects.

Museum Garden

In the museum garden, visitors can see large architectural fragments from Prusias ad Hypium, including columns, bomoi (votive inscriptions), ostotheks (small stone urns for ashes), city law inscriptions, pithoi (large storage jars), grave stelae, fountain pieces, and Islamic tombstones.
Particularly notable is a 1st-century CE sarcophagus, discovered in the necropolis west of Konuralp in 1937.
The long side of the sarcophagus features garlands supported by carved bull heads. In the center is an uninscribed tabula ansata, and the lower register shows various animal figures in relief.