15 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A unique discovery in the ancient city of Aphrodisias, the city famous for its sculptors in the Roman World, “As if he were a breathing God”

A marble ‘Zeus head’ was found in the ancient city of Aphrodisias, located within the borders of the Geyre neighborhood in the Karacasu district of Aydın province in western Türkiye.

The artifact found during excavations in the ancient city of Aphrodisias was announced by Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism, in his post with the note ‘A unique discovery in Aphrodisias’, said, ‘The marble head, which reunited with the light of day after centuries, exhibits the splendor of Zeus, the most powerful and important god in Greek mythology.’

The bearded colossal marble head, carved in relief as an architectural console or part of a console, was found inverted near the surface in an area 50 meters west of the Temple of Aphrodite.

The 66-centimeter-high marble head underwent preliminary cleaning and conservation to remove heavily solidified soil deposits.

Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Made from a single block of medium-grained Aphrodisas marble, the head has been dated by archaeologists to the 2nd-3rd century AD.

“As if he were a breathing God…”

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism made the following statement:  “The magnificent drill work on the hair and beard belongs to a top Aphrodisias sculpture workshop. The sophisticated depiction of the powerful divine image gives the head a powerful effect.

The delicate technique borrowed from portrait sculpture is used here to give the classical image of Zeus a more realistic, contemporary effect, as if he were a breathing god.

The head is an exceptional find of the highest quality and historical significance.”

Photo: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Situated in the upper valley of the Morsynus River in southwest Turkey, the site is comprised of two parts: the northeastern marble quarries and the archaeological site of Aphrodisias. The city was constructed a century after the Aphrodite temple, which dates to the third century BC. Aphrodisias’s marble quarries and the sculptures created by its sculptors were the source of its wealth. Temples, a theater, an agora, and two bath complexes are among the major civic buildings that surround the city’s streets.

One of the main reasons Aphrodisias rose to prominence as a premier hub for the production of marble sculpture was the close proximity of the marble quarries to the city. City sculptors were well-known across the Roman Empire. They were renowned for their virtuoso portrait sculptures as well as their statues of gods and Dionysian figures in the Hellenistic style.

Aphrodisian sculptors were highly sought after in the major empire centers, such as Sardis, Stratonikeia, Laodikeia, Constantinople, and Rome, for their marble portrait busts and statues of emperors, governors, and philosophers in the late antiquity (4th–6th centuries AD). They were the most skilled marble statue carvers of the time. Because of the methods employed, the caliber of the regional artistic design, and the creation of sophisticated portrait sculpture, Aphrodisias occupied a special place in the Roman world.

Related Articles

Archaeologists unearth the long-lost homestead of King Pompey in Lynn

3 July 2024

3 July 2024

Archaeologists from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and a historian from Northeastern University believe they might have found the...

A 2,500-year-old celestial map carved on the surface of a circular stone found in Italy

25 December 2023

25 December 2023

Two circular stones measuring 50 centimeters in diameter have been discovered in Castelliere di Rupinpiccolo, an ancient hilltop fortress in...

Ukrainian Stonehenge

6 July 2021

6 July 2021

It has almost become a tradition to compare the structures surrounded by stones to the Stonehenge monument. This ancient cemetery,...

Beer remains that are 9,000 years old have been discovered in China’s unique Hu pots

3 September 2021

3 September 2021

Archaeologists in southeast China have discovered evidence of beer consumption in ceramic vessels at the burial site called Qiaotou. The...

Study Reveals Mysterious Avars Origin

1 April 2022

1 April 2022

Ruled much of Central and Eastern Europe for 250 years, the Avars were less well known than Attila’s Huns, but...

Viking Gold Treasure Unearthed on Isle of Man by Veteran Metal Detectorist

2 June 2025

2 June 2025

A remarkable piece of Viking gold has been unearthed on the Isle of Man, shedding new light on the island’s...

DNA from 20,000-year-old deer-tooth pendant reveals woman who wore it

4 May 2023

4 May 2023

A pendant made of a deer tooth that was exposed to DNA about 20,000 years ago has yielded clues about...

The ruins found in Nara could be the Imperial House of Female Emperor Koken

1 July 2021

1 July 2021

Archaeologists unearthed one of the largest building remains ever found at the former site of the Heijokyu palace in the...

Archaeologists Unearthed a Rare Hoard of Hasmonean Coins in Jordan Valley

31 December 2024

31 December 2024

A team of archaeologists from the University of Haifa discovered a rare hoard of approximately 160 coins during an excavation...

Kurt Tepesi: The Silent Sentinel in the Shadows of Göbeklitepe and Karahan Tepe – Unearthing the Forgotten Sister

31 May 2025

31 May 2025

In the arid plains of southeastern Anatolia, a quiet giant slumbers. While Göbekli Tepe has dazzled archaeologists and the global...

Three-room Urartian tomb with liquid offering area (libation) found in eastern Turkey

18 January 2023

18 January 2023

A three-room Urartian tomb with a rock-cut libation (liquid offering area) to offer gifts to the gods was unearthed in...

Unusual construction material may be linked to the Tower of Babel

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

Archaeologists have recently discovered bitumen and mortar plastered onto a brick dating back to the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II. This...

A secret chamber has been found in the famous Gorham Cave Complex

29 September 2021

29 September 2021

A cave chamber sealed off by sand for some 40,000 years has been discovered in Vanguard Cave inside the Gorham’s...

Ancient Hippodrome, Subject of Ben-Hur Movie, Will Become “Arkeo Sports Park”

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

Ben-Hur, a wealthy prince living in Jerusalem, is a historical figure who struggled for the freedom of the Jews during...

Archaeologists discovered how wine was cooled in Roman legions on the Danube

15 September 2023

15 September 2023

Lead archaeologist Piotr Dyczek, a professor at the Center for Research on Antiquities of Southeastern Europe at the University of...