Turkey‘s Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced yesterday a major archaeological discovery after archaeologists found a colossal head of a statue of Zeus in the ruins of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Aphrodisias in the province of Aydın, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
‘A unique discovery in Aphrodisias: a colossal head of Zeus. This marble head brought to light after centuries shows the magnificence of Zeus, the most powerful and important god in Greek mythology. This important object found 50 metres from the Temple of Aphrodite is remarkable for its exquisite craftsmanship of hair and beard,’ the minister was quoted as saying by Turkish media.
The head of the statue, 66 cm high and carved in relief, was discovered on 16 July lying face down buried under the ground. According to the archaeologists who examined it, it was carved between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD from a solid block of medium-grained Aphrodisias marble.
Both the hairstyle and the beard and diadem, which he wears like the crown of a king, indicate that the head belongs to Zeus, a divinity of great importance who was the most revered in Aphrodisias along with the goddess of the city, Aphrodite. The exquisite sculptural work on the hair and beard suggest that the head found by the archaeologists came from a high-level sculpture workshop, and experts consider it an extraordinary finding of enormous historical significance.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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