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Warwick University archaeologists are leading the delicate operation to rescue two ancient and beautiful Byzantine mosaics discovered slowly falling into the sea on Turkey's Black Sea coast.

The 1,200-year-old mosaics, perched on a cliff at Ciftlik, were decorative features of buildings located at the ancient port of Sinop. One is thought to be from a church, the first to be excavated in this part of Turkey.

The other, given its huge size of 25 square metres, is thought to be from a nobleman's villa. The mosaics, with richly coloured patterns reminiscent of Turkish carpets, are being bandaged and transported to the Sinop Museum for specialist restoration.

The mosaics were discovered after beachcombers saw the fragments plunging from the cliff. The uncovering of other artefacts has led to the discovery that the ancient coastline was 30 metres farther out to sea.

Traces of the ancient quayside are submerged in water, two Roman bridges are wholly or partially under water, and a Roman wreck has been reported off Ciftlik. The Warwick team is headed by Stephen Hill of the classics and ancient history department.