Turkish archaeologists unearth sculpted heads of ancient Greek deities

Turkish archaeologists have discovered more sculpted heads of ancient Greek deities during excavations in Türkiye's western Kutahya province.

The statue head of Aphrodite, known as the goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology, and the statue head of Dionysus, the deity of wine, were discovered during excavation work in an ancient city in central Türkiye.

Modern Türkiye is the site of many ancient Greek and Roman-era settlements.

With a history dating back 5,000 years, Aizanoi, situated 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the Kutahya city centre, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2012.

Archaeological excavations are currently underway in Aizanoi, which is located in the Cavdarhisar district of Kutahya province and is home to Anatolia's best-preserved Temple of Zeus.

Archaeology professor and excavation team leader Gokhan Coskun told Anadolu Agency that numerous statue pieces were discovered during the excavation.

"The most exciting development for us this season is uncovering new heads of the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, and the deity of wine Dionysus," Coskun said.

"In the excavation works we have conducted in the region so far, we have unearthed more than 100 statue pieces. Some of the heads found are from statues that are 2-3 meters long," he noted.

"These statue heads, which we first discovered three years ago, are in very well-preserved condition. During our excavations, so far we have discovered two Aphrodite and three Dionysus statue heads," Coskun said.

The excavation season, which began in the ancient city last April, will be completed by the end of this month, Coskun added.