17 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

‘Nano lime’ protects Nemrut: Throne of the Gods

Last year, “nano lime” was filled with syringes to protect the tiny cracks on the large stone statues on Mount Nemrut in Adıyaman, located in the southeastern region of Turkey, and now authorities announced that the application has given positive results.

The statues have been standing on the east and west terraces of the 2,150-meter-high tumulus for more than 2,000 years. The lime filling was prepared last year using nanotechnology in the cracks of the statues, which had been worn down due to natural conditions for centuries.

Gaziantep Restoration and Conservation Regional Laboratory Director Ayşe Ebru Çorbaşı and the restorers filled the body and sandstone of the Eagle statue on the East terrace, and the feet and sandstone of Herakles, the son of Zeus, on the West terrace.

After waiting one-year, the examinations show that nano lime protected the sculptures. Now it is planned to carry out the same work on other statues.

Adıyaman Museum Director Mehmet Alkan explained: “In September 2022, teams from the Gaziantep Restoration and Conservation Regional Directorate worked on four sculptures made of lime and sandstone. They were conducted thorough inspections and aesthetic assessments as part of the nano-cell studies. Based on their findings, they sent us a report indicating that the measures taken last year have yielded positive results.”

Photo: AA

“During these examinations, experts observed that no rain or snow water affected the statues and that their work was very positive. It was reported that the nano lime can be used for the protection of the statues. As a result of these reports, restoration and conservation works will be continued,” said Alkan.

The joint project carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Middle East Technical University (METU) aims to ensure that the stone heads remain a source of curiosity and admiration for years to come.

The colossal stone heads at the top of 2150 meters high Mount Nemrut National Park are one of Türkiye’s most famous sites.  It is located near the Kahta village in the province of Adiyaman. This kingdom, whose capital was Samosata (now called Samsat), was founded around 80 B.C.

The ruins on the top of Mount Nemrut indicate that it was not a residence, but specifically built for the tumulus of Antioch and his sacred space.

The tumulus is at an altitude of 2150 meters and overlooks the River Firat and the neighbouring plains. It is thought that the king’s bones or ashes were put inside the room carved into the main rock, then covered by the tumulus which is 50 meters high and 150 meters in diameter. The courtyards are shaped like terraces, and religious ceremonies were held on the western side of Mount Nemrut National Park.

On both terraces, the huge sculptures of the gods, measuring up to 7 meters high, are positioned between the lion and eagle sculptures. These are surrounded by great stone blocks, arranged perpendicularly with inscriptions and embossed designs.

Related Articles

Over 7,000-Year-Old Traces of Life Discovered in Ratina Cave on Šćedro Island, Croatia

28 February 2025

28 February 2025

Recent archaeological excavations on Šćedro Island, located south of Hvar, have unveiled significant findings that challenge previous understandings of the...

Researchers Discovered Wreckage of a Schooner that Sank in Lake Michigan in Late 1800s

27 July 2024

27 July 2024

Maritime historians from the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association discovered the wreckage of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in...

Hellenistic cremation tomb found in Istanbul’s Haydarpasa excavations

11 April 2022

11 April 2022

A brick tomb belonging to the Hellenistic period (330 BC – 30 BC) was found during the Haydarpaşa excavations, which...

Archaeologists explore Eastern Zhou Dynasty mausoleum in China’s Henan

30 January 2022

30 January 2022

An archaeological survey of a royal mausoleum of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770 B.C.-256 B.C.) has been launched in central...

On a 5,300-year-old skull, archaeologists find evidence of the first known ear surgery

20 February 2022

20 February 2022

Humans may have begun performing ear surgery more than 5,000 years ago, say Spanish archaeologists. Spanish researchers say the skull...

A cave complex with hieroglyphs and Varangian symbols discovered in center of Ukraine

19 November 2022

19 November 2022

An ancient cave complex thought to date from Kievan Rus’ has been discovered in central Kyiv at Voznesensky Uzvoz. Dmytro...

Archaeologists discover rare Caanite inscription on ancient ivory comb

12 November 2022

12 November 2022

Israeli archaeologists discovered a rare inscription on an ivory comb that sheds new light on the Canaanite language’s use some...

Archaeologist Reconstructs 2,000-Year-Old Roman Frescoes from Thousands of Fragments in ‘World’s Toughest Jigsaw’

19 June 2025

19 June 2025

What started as a pile of broken plaster fragments has become one of the most remarkable reconstruction projects in British...

7500-year-old cursed city of Iran

17 March 2023

17 March 2023

Sialk Hills, located in the southwestern part of Kashan city in Iran, was known among the locals as a ‘cursed...

Stonehenge could be a solar calendar, according to a new study

2 March 2022

2 March 2022

A new study posits that the Stonehenge circles served as a calendar that tracks the solar year of 365.25 days,...

Part of The ‘Missing Link’ in Human Migration may have been Found in Kaldar Cave

3 April 2021

3 April 2021

Kaldar cave is an important archaeological site that provides evidence for the transition from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic Ages...

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of the poet Aratos in the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of Aratos, the famous poet and astronomer of the...

Luxurious 2,200-year-old King Tomb Discovered in China

3 May 2024

3 May 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed a luxurious 2,200-year-old tomb in eastern China, the largest, highest-ranking, and most structurally complex ever unearthed, which...

Medieval ‘Testicle Dagger’ Unearthed at Swedish Fortress

19 May 2025

19 May 2025

Archaeologists in Gothenburg, southwestern Sweden, have made a rather striking discovery at the site of the ancient Gullberg Fortress: a...

Great Wall Castle Remains Found in China’s Shaanxi

8 June 2021

8 June 2021

The remains of a Great Wall castle dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were discovered in northwest China’s Shaanxi...