During excavations of the ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias – named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love – in the historic Caria cultural region of Anatolia, Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered an incredibly well preserved bearded marble head of Zeus, King of the Gods.
Aphrodisias was a Greek Hellenistic city, which during antiquity was renowned for its artisans and schools for sculpture, exporting building facades and cultures to all over the Hellenistic and Roman world.
It was also famous for its nearby marble quarries, which contributed significantly to the city’s prominence as a hub for marble sculpture production. It is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Many full-length statues had previously been discovered in the region of the agora, in addition to trial and unfinished pieces.
The city was destroyed by an earthquake in the early seventh century AD, being reduced to a small fortified settlement on the site of the ancient theatre – Odeon.
The marble head was part of an architectural console, according to a press statement by Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism.
Zeus was king of the gods on Mount Olympus as well as the god of sky and thunder.
“The marble head, which reunited with the light of day after centuries, exhibits the splendour of Zeus, the most powerful and important god in Greek mythology,” said Ersoy.
The head, which has been dated to the second or third century AD, measures 66 centimetres in height and is made from a single block of locally sourced medium-grained Aphrodisias marble. It was found inverted near the surface, around 50 metres west of the Temple of Aphrodite.
“The magnificent drill work on the hair and beard belongs to a top Aphrodisias sculpture workshop. The sophisticated depiction of the powerful divine image gives the head a powerful effect,” Ersoy added.
The new find follows the 2022 discovery of the 1,600-square-metre “Kibele Pavilion”
Ersoy vowed that their efforts to “carry Anatolia’s rich past to future generations will continue without slowing down”.