14 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

In the city of Gods and Goddesses Magnesia, Zeus Temple’s entrance gate found

During an excavation in the ancient city of Magnesia, located in the Ortaklar district of Germencik in Turkey’s Aegean province of Aydin, the entry gate of Magnesia’s Zeus Temple was unearthed.

Magnesia, a city with a grid-planned avenue and street system, surrounded by a wall, located within the borders of Tekin Village, in an area of approximately 1300×1100 m2, is a very important city established on the strategic and commercial road.

Excavations in the Ancient City of Magnesia continue under the direction of Ankara University Archeology Department Associate Professor Görkem Kökdemir.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Kokdemir said Magnesia was a prominent city in ancient times with its religious festivals held in temples and sanctuaries.

Görkem Kökdemir said, “This is a very important city in terms of religion. We can call it the city of ‘gods and goddesses. This has been demonstrated by the studies carried out so far. Special sanctuaries were built here for many gods and goddesses.”



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The moment when the first traces of the entrance gate of the Temple of Zeus in Magnesia were found. Photo Magnesia Excavations official Twitter account
The moment when the first traces of the entrance gate of the Temple of Zeus in Magnesia were found. Photo Magnesia Excavations official Twitter account

In the news in Anadolu Agency (AA), Associate Professor Gorkem Kokdemir noted that they have started excavations in the 26 thousand square meter area known as the “religious agora”.

“We think that the temple we found in this area is as much important in the history of architecture as the 4th largest Temple of Artemis in Anatolia. It is a temple dedicated to Zeus,” he said.

He said the ancient area was previously excavated by Germans who took some pieces of Zeus Temple to Germany, which are still on display at the Berlin Pergamon Museum.

“Next year, we will reveal the origin of the structure, which is exhibited in the museum in Berlin. This is a tremendous thing. It is very important both for archaeological literature and tourism. So, we are very excited,” he said.

Stating that they will continue the excavations until the end of the year, Kökdemir said that they aim to reveal the entire temple after the entrance gate of the Temple of Zeus.

“When we unearth this temple completely, the eyes of the world’s archeology community will be here,” he added.

Related Articles

Fossil of a hominid child who died almost 250,000 years ago discovered in South Africa

8 November 2021

8 November 2021

A team of international and South African researchers uncovered the fossil remains of an early hominid kid who died almost...

Archaeologists Unearth Exceptionally Preserved Roman Wicker Well in Norfolk, England

4 July 2025

4 July 2025

A team of archaeologists from Oxford Archaeology has uncovered a remarkably intact Roman-era well in Norfolk, England, revealing new insights...

A Monumental 3,800-Year-Old Warrior Kurgan Discovered in Azerbaijan

16 July 2025

16 July 2025

A monumental discovery has emerged from the windswept plains of Ceyranchol in western Azerbaijan: a 3,800-year-old Middle Bronze Age kurgan,...

A New Late Ancient Necropolis Discovered on Hvar Island

10 June 2021

10 June 2021

The protective investigation in the garden of the Radoevi Palace in the town of Hvar on the Croatian island of...

A well-preserved comb discovered in a 4th-century rare Alemannic chamber grave in Germany

4 September 2024

4 September 2024

During a rescue excavation in the center of the village of Gerstetten, located in the Heidenheim district of southwestern Germany,...

Ceremonial cave site from Postclassic Maya period discovered in Yucatán Peninsula

21 December 2021

21 December 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a ceremonial cave site in Chemuyil on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, that dates from the Postclassic Maya...

The statue head of Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, found stuck between two rocks in Laodikeia

21 May 2024

21 May 2024

A 2100-year-old statue head of the Hygieia (Health) Goddess was found during the excavations in the ancient city of Laodikeia...

A first-of-its-kind Ayyanar stone idol found in Vellore, India

25 June 2022

25 June 2022

An Ayyanar stone idol, the first of its kind in Vellore, was discovered at Thandalai Krishnapuram (TK Puram) in Tamil...

The 11-meter giant statue of the island of Naxos “Dionysus of Apollonas”

22 March 2023

22 March 2023

One of the two ancient marble quarries, thought to have begun the sculpture, the greatest art of antiquity, is located...

Archaeologists uncover a 1,500-year-old Lost Mayan city in the Yucatan

28 May 2022

28 May 2022

Researchers have presented their findings after discovering the remnants of an ancient Mayan city on a building site in Mexico....

Ancient scrolls reveal astonishing information about the life of a Nabatean woman, who lived in the first century AD in Petra

18 December 2023

18 December 2023

Petra was the capital of a powerful trading empire two thousand years ago. It was established by the Nabateans, a...

Archaeologists Find Rare Ancient African Figurines in Christian Graves in Negev Desert

2 June 2025

2 June 2025

Researchers have uncovered five miniature figurines, including intricately carved African heads, in 1,500-year-old graves in Israel’s Negev Desert. These rare...

Paleontologists Unearth 139 Million-Year-Old Pregnant Dinosaur Fossil in Chile

10 May 2022

10 May 2022

Archeologists in Chile have unearthed the fossilized remains of a 13ft-long pregnant ichthyosaur from a melting glacier -marking the first...

Research Team Identifies Oldest Bone Spear Point In The Americas

3 February 2023

3 February 2023

A team of researchers has identified the Manis bone projectile point as the oldest weapon made of bone ever found...

Researchers sequenced the DNA 1,600-year-old sheep mummy from an ancient Iranian salt mine, Chehrabad

16 July 2021

16 July 2021

A multinational team of geneticists and archaeologists sequenced the DNA from a 1,600-year-old sheep mummy discovered from Chehrabad, a salt...