Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Statue of Aphrodite in Southern Turkey

Archaeologists have uncovered a startling treasure in southern Turkey. While shoveling and sweeping away debris to expose still-hidden portions of a marble mosaic, they found a life-size marble head of the goddess Aphrodite. The findings reveal a little bit more about the ancient history of the place.

The life-size head is scarred by chips on its nose and face, yet it still possesses intricate details that show how the region was affected by Greek and Roman culture during the first and second centuries. Unfortunately, the body of the statue was likely incinerated in a lime kiln many centuries before.

Aphrodite's head, though, is just one of the discoveries at the site of Antiochia ad Cragnum (Antioch on the cliffs), an ancient Mediterranean city that once numbered 8,000 people. In addition to the current mosaic the researchers are uncovering, the archaeologist also discovered a mosaic thought to be the largest of its type in the region; it probably adorned an open-air plaza outside a soaring, 60-foot-high Roman bath house.

The current mosaic, in contrast, is located on the floor of what was once a temple. This finding is somewhat unusual for a temple, and the researchers hope to learn more about how it relates to temple architecture.

The new findings actually add evidence that early residents of Antiochia adopted many of the trappings of Roman civilization. Although the denizens lived in relative isolation a thousand miles from Rome, it seems that even they were not free from the empire's impact. In fact, the archaeologists have found many hints at this influence.

"We have niches where statues once were. We just didn't have any statues," said Michael Hoff, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Finally, we have the head of a statue. It suggests something of how mainstream these people were who were living here, how much they were part of the overall Greek and Roman traditions."

Currently, the archaeologists are still working at the site as they uncover more information about the location. The "missing" statues are most likely due to the fact that they were burned to make slaked lime used in concrete. Yet as they continue to dig through the rubble, they hope to find further evidence of these remarkable pieces of art-and possibly who the temple was dedicated to.