During excavations in the ancient city of Aizanoi in the area of Chavdarhisar in the western Turkish province of Kutahya found a statue of the goddess of Greek mythology Hygieia.
The ancient city of Aizanoi, included in the previous UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012, is located 50 km from the administrative center of Kutahya province. Excavations here are conducted by the local Museum Office.
The coordinator of the excavations, Professor Gekhan Joshkun, head of the archeology department at Dumlupinar University’s Faculty of Scientific Literature, said the ancient city was built about 5,000 years ago.
The excavations involve 100 archaeologists and technical staff numbering 25 people, Joshkun said.
“We are trying to dig up galleries with columns in the western and southern parts of the agora (market) and benches right behind them,” said the professor.
According to him, a statue of the goddess of Greek mythology Hygieia was found in one of the galleries in the south of the agora.
“Hygiene in Greek mythology – the goddess of health and purity, the daughter of the god of medicine Asclepius. The statue is carved from marble, the upper part of it was damaged. Unfortunately, the statue has not survived to this day in its entirety, but even in its current state it is the height of a man. Earlier during excavations, other artifacts related to Hygiene were found. This suggests that there was a cult of health in Aizanoe, perhaps whole buildings and medical facilities will be found. In this regard, I believe that the found statue is of great importance,” said the coordinator of the excavations.