archaeologists of Turkey Find statues of two heads of Greek gods at an archaeological site in the west of the country, Kutahya Dumlupinar University reported.
Excavations took place at the archaeological site of Aizanoi, and in late October unearthed statues of Aphrodite and Dionysus, which are more than 5,000 years old.
A statue of Dionysus was discovered at an archaeological site in Turkey in October 2021 — Photo: Reproduction/University Kutahya Dumlupinar
The artifacts discovered show two gods belonging to the Greek pantheon. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty and Dionysus is the god of wine.
The coordinator of the archaeological site, Professor Gokhan Koskun of Kutahya Dumlupinar University, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency that 100 people were involved in the find.
Aphrodite’s head among excavations in western Turkey — Photo: Reproduction/University Kutahya Dumlupinar
“These are important findings because they show that the polytheistic cults of ancient Greece existed for years and were not lost during the Roman Empire,” Koskun said.
The researcher also said that the excavations show that an idol workshop was going on in the discovered area.
Archaeologist excavates a statue of Aphrodite at a Turkish archaeological site — Photo: Reproduction/University Kutahya Dumlupinar
The city of Aizanoi, about 300 km from Istanbul, is known for the construction of an ancient temple to the god of the gods, Zeus.
The exploited area was designated for the UNESCO Heritage List in 2012 and is being assessed by the United Nations agency. It is part of the territory that belonged to the Greeks in ancient times.
