A group of archaeologists from Kütahya Dumlupınar University unearthed the heads of Greek gods Hercules, Eros, Dionysus, and a 210 cm tall male statue in the ancient city of Aizanoi in Turkey.
(Photo : YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images))
This photograph shows massive stone head statues at the archaeological site of Mount Nemrut in Adiyaman, southeastern Turkey, on September 16, 2021.
Head Statues of Greek Gods
The team already found the headless body of Hercules. But unfortunately, the head that they recently found did not match the body, according to Dr. Gökhan Coşkun, who is leading the excavations.
The research team is still looking for the missing parts of the two heads. There is still a plethora of materials that are being unearthed, which means that they could find these parts as soon as possible.
They were also overjoyed to discover the male statue, which they believe dates back to 2000 years. Most of its parts have been preserved and it is the only complete statue that they have discovered so far.
It is a statue of a man that stands 2 meters and 10 cm tall. Only one foot and the bottom half of its pedestal are missing; all other elements have been preserved in their entirety. The crew is hopeful that during the 2023 construction projects they may discover this statue's missing piece.
The team's collection also boasts the heads of two Greek gods, such as the god of wine and ecstasy Dionysus, that roughly 40 centimeters, and the god of love and sexual desire Eros at 20 cm.
But their most recent discovery is the head of Hercules. They found the demigod's body in 2020, which means that they now have two Hercules statues.
The team is optimistic that in the upcoming years they will find more statues of Greek gods and maybe find the bodies of the three Greek gods to complete them.
"We reach new works every day. During our work in the area where the bridge is located in 2022, we encountered surprising finds that made us very excited. Since the previous season, we have been finding a large number of various pieces of marble sculptures in this area, some of which, if they were complete, would have reached 3-3.5 meters in height," the team wrote in a press release statement.
Azanoi and Phyrgia
Although many people are unfamiliar with Azanoi and Phrygia, the kingdom to which the statues belonged, it was the capital of several legendary kings, including Gordias, Mygdon, and Midas, according to ART News.
The Phrygians, who took part in the Trojan War, are credited with creating Greek music. Despite having a different language and their own ancient gods, the Phrygians interbred with Greek culture, which is why there are so many temples and monuments honoring the Greek pantheon in the area.
Azanoi, a Roman trading center that is now in modern-day Turkey and is close to the Aegean Sea, was home to one of the first stock exchange marketplaces in history. The city is currently under consideration for UNESCO status.
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