29 March 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Unique Works of Anatolia “Kilia İdols”

The “Kilia İdols”, which are among the small artifacts belonging to the prehistoric periods of Anatolia, has been introduced to the scientific world since the 19th century.

These idols were first found in Kilia, near Eceabad, on the Gelibolu peninsula and they are called by the name of the place where they are located.

These works, also known as “tepegöz” in Turkey, are known as “Stargazer” abroad.

These idols, which are not well known in Turkey, were found by an American archaeologist in Kilia at the end of the 19th century and took them to the American Archaeological Institute in Athens. Archaeologists from the Cycladic Art Museum in Athens dated this idol between 4360 and 3500 BC.

Famous German archaeologist Prof. Dr. For Manfred Korfman Kilia idols: “These should be examined with burnished-decorated pottery. It is certain that this species belongs to the Bronze Age transition period ” he said. The broken idol fragment found in the Chalcolithic layer of Antalya Karain Cave also supports this view.

The characteristic features of these works are that they are 10-17 cm high, depict a standing human being, and the female gender is engraved in a triangle. The head of this type of figurine is in the form of a flat rhombus, and the arms had raised towards the chest by curling like wings.

Kilia type idols
Kilia type idols

Their shoulders are low and rounded. Their noses are in the form of a small protrusion and their ears are depicted with a pointed tip. In the “Kilia Type” figurines, the eyes are shown with small bumps and the mouth and breasts are not made very prominent. The separation points between the two legs and between the upper arm and the lower arm are marked with a scraping line. As mentioned in many examples, the feet are shaped like a triangular protrusion. In general, alabaster or white marble was used in its construction.

Until now, no other work made of precious metals has been found, except for a 4.5 cm long “electrum” (mixture of silver and gold) figurine, except for marble. This work was sold in New York in 1966.

It was none other than the American antique dealer J.J Klejman who sold the statue. Klejman also sold the “Treasure of Karun”, which he had smuggled out of Turkey, to the New York Metropolitan Museum.

There is one more unusual sculpture in Kilia figurines. Prominent “breasts” are seen in this figurine. This idol is exhibited in the Boisgirard museum in Paris. This figurine was also included in the collection of the museum by purchase.

Most recently, the Kilia idol, which went on sale at Christie’s New York for an estimated $ 3 million on April 28, 2017, found buyers for $ 14.5 million.

Source: ANLAYAN,Ç.ANLAYAN,T.GÜNSENİN,Y.1995”Sadberk Hanım Müzesi”,İSTANBUL.

DİNÇ,R.1995 Yortan’da Bulunan Kilia Tipi İki Mermer Heykelcik Başı,” İ.Metin Akyurt, Bahattin Devam Anı Kitabı,(Ed.Armağan Erkanal Öktü) Arkeoloji Sanat Yayınları,İSTANBUL,S:85-89

Related Articles

The Hittites Celebrated The Arrival of Spring With The Purilli Feast

23 March 2021

23 March 2021

Man is a being that lives in touch with nature. Spring is a season in which abundance gives many meanings...

2,700-Year-Old Fragrance Containers Stretching From Egypt to Anatolia

27 April 2021

27 April 2021

The 2,700-year-old  fragrance containers reflecting the ancient Egyptian culture are exhibited for the first time in the private treasure room...

Anatolia’s Trade Secrets: The Unveiling of a Rare Neolithic Obsidian Mirror Manufacturing Hub

25 February 2025

25 February 2025

A recent study has applied a techno-functional approach to investigate the production and use of obsidian mirrors found at Tepecik...

Bergama Ancient City Takes Its Place in Digital Environment

1 February 2021

1 February 2021

As a result of the studies carried out by the German Institute, Bergama Ancient City was It was transferred to...

Unique 7,700-year-old figurines were discovered in Ulucak Mound, one of the oldest settlements in Western Anatolia

6 October 2023

6 October 2023

Ulucak Mound (Ulucak Höyük), one of the oldest neolithic settlements dating back to 6800 BC, male and female figurines evaluated...

Historical Armenian church 500-year-old in southeastern Turkey set to be restored

6 February 2022

6 February 2022

Work has been initiated to transfer the historical Armenian Church, which was built in the 16th century in the province...

Two Archaic Sculptures was Unearthed in Milas Euromos 2021 Excavations

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

Milas Euromos 2021 archaeological excavations continue. During the excavations of Milas Euromos 2021, archaeologists unearthed two archaic period statues (kuros)...

Pandemics Determined the Fate of Wars in Ancient Times

7 April 2021

7 April 2021

Epidemics have been one of the factors affecting the fate of wars throughout history. Epidemics have sometimes turned the fate...

Archaeologists have discovered a 2800-year-old Urartian Castle in eastern Turkey

17 June 2021

17 June 2021

Archaeologists discovered the ruins of a castle going back 2,800 years on a mountain 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) above sea...

Turkey discovers 11 new major hills near famed Gobeklitepe “Potbelly Hill”

28 June 2021

28 June 2021

Turkey reported on Sunday the discovery of 11 new hills in the vicinity of the renowned ancient site of Gobeklitepe...

A 3800-year-old cylinder seal was discovered at Turkey’s Tepebag Mound excavations

8 July 2022

8 July 2022

In the 2022 excavations of Tepebag Mound, located around Taşköprü, the center of Adana province in Turkey’s Mediterranean Region, a...

A Special structure Contemporary to Göbeklitepe found at Gre Fılla Höyük in Eastern Turkey

4 August 2022

4 August 2022

Pit-bottomed structures dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period were found at Gre Fılla Höyük (Gre Fılla Mound) in the province...

1,800-year-old Bronze military medal with Medusa head found in southeastern Turkey

5 October 2022

5 October 2022

A military medal believed to be almost 1,800 years old has been found by archaeologists in Turkey. The discovery was...

Middle Ages living space uncovered at an altitude of 1,800 meters in eastern Turkey

20 December 2021

20 December 2021

A living space carved into a bedrock considered to belong to the Middle Ages was found at a point overlooking...

The “food” thousands of years ago may be the ancestor of a Turkish dessert

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The rock paintings and kitchen materials found in the cave, which were discovered by a shepherd and emerged as a...