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.”
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.
