2500 YEAR - OLD STATUES AND GREEK INSCRIPTIONS UNEARTHED IN WESTERN TURKEY

 

Two 2,500-year-old marble statues and an inscription have been found during excavations at the Temple of Zeus Lepsynos, one of the best-preserved Roman temples of Anatolia, in the western province of Muğla.

Built with donations in the second century B.C.E, the temple is located in the ancient city of Euromos.

Abuzer Kızıl, the head of the excavation committee and faculty member at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University’s Archeology Department, told the state-run Anadolu Agency on July 11 that they were currently carrying out works in the temple, agora, theater, bath and the city walls.

Expressing that Euromos is “one of the luckiest ancient cities in Anatolia” due to its location, Kızıl said that they started to implement important projects related to the Temple of Zeus Lepsynos.

“We took approximately 250 blocks stacked on top of each other on the southern facade of the temple and moved them to the appropriate area to be used in restoration works. We then started the excavation work, hoping that there were architectural blocks under the ground. While waiting to explore the architectural blocks, we encountered great surprises. Two statues and an inscription were discovered under the ground. We got very excited. In fact, it excited not only us but also the world of archeology, as here we have unearthed two very important links of the missing archaic sculpture of the Caria region and an inscription dating to the Hellenistic period,” Kızıl said.

Kızıl added that the sculptures were categorized as kouros, a modern term given to free-standing ancient Greek sculptures.

“One of the two kouros unearthed at Euromos is naked while the other is wearing armor and a short skirt. The armor is made of leather, and it is remarkable to see that both statues have a lion in their hands. Ichnographically, the lion has great significance; we have not been able to find exact copies of either of the statues so far,” Kızıl said.

The naked statue with a lion in his hand indicates that it is most likely to be Apollo.

Kızıl said the inscription from the Hellenistic period was expected to reveal important insights on the Carian history, and efforts to decipher it were ongoing.

Pointing out that temples and artifacts are the common heritage of humanity, Kızıl said their primary goal was to restore the Temple of Zeus Lepsynos to its former glory.

Source ~ hurriyetdailynews

THE ZEUS LEPSYNOS TEMPLE IN EUROMOS ~ ASIA MINOR

 

The Temple of Zeus Lepsynos in the ancient city of Euromos in southwestern Turkey will regain its former glory with the resurrection of newly excavated and restored columns.

Work is being done to restore the still missing columns of the temple of Zeus, which was built in the second century B.C.E in the Milas district of Muğla province.

"The Temple of Zeus is one of the best-preserved temples in Anatolia. One of our most important projects when starting the excavations was the rebuilding of the architectural blocks," Euromos Ancient City Excavation Director Abuzer Kızıl told Anadolu Agency.

"By making this beautiful temple a little more magnificent, we will add it to the world's cultural heritage," said Kızıl.

He said that the broken pieces were found by searching hundreds of pieces, they were cleaned and restored.

"We use chrome rods to join the large architectural blocks," he said. "After we put the columns together, we will put them back in their original places with their pedestals, as in the ancient period."

Currently, 16 columns are standing and 10 will be raised with their upper beams.

"We are lucky that the majority of the columns belonging to the temple are present," he said.

He underlined that his team has complied with the international restoration rules, without using modern materials.

Edited from : hurriyetdailynews