IZMIR, Türkiye

A marble sculpture head believed to date back to the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) has been uncovered in the ancient city of Metropolis in Türkiye’s western city of Izmir.

According to a statement by the Excavation Directorate, excavations in Metropolis, known as the “City of the Mother Goddess,” began in 1989 and have been carried out since 2007 under the direction of Serdar Aybek of Dokuz Eylul University’s Department of Archaeology.

During this year’s excavations, the head of a marble goddess statue was discovered in an area identified as a commercial structure.

Aybek said the hair details, portrait features, and the seamless joining of two separately carved pieces indicate that the sculpture belongs to the Hellenistic period.

He said that, after meticulous cleaning, the team discovered an intentionally carved cavity in the pupil area, similar to Greek examples where colorful stones were later inserted, and that the head's size provides important information about Metropolis' sculpture production during the Hellenistic period.

The Hellenistic period refers to the period in Greek, Eastern Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern history following Classical Greece, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC.

Aybek said the head is believed to match, in terms of dimensions, a previously discovered Hestia torso from the Bouleuterion.​​​​​​​

Work at the site, where the earliest settlement traces extend to the Neolithic era, continues with the support of the Sabanci Foundation within the scope of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s “Heritage for the Future” Project.