A 2100-year-old statue head of the Hygieia (Health) Goddess was found during the excavations in the ancient Greek city of Laodicea, southwestern Turkey.
Laodicea is situated in a geographical location on the south side of the Lycus River. It was among the most famous and influential cities in antiquity.
Dr. Celal Simsek of the Pamukkale University Archaeology Department shared the unearthing of the statue head after 2100 years on his social media X account with the note “The meeting of the Sun and Hygieia with us in Laodicea after 2,100 years”.
Laodicea amphitheater restored
The city was called ”Laodicea on the edge of the Lycus” in ancient sources. According to other ancient sources, the city was founded by Antiochus II in 263-261 BC and named after Antiochos’ wife. The Romans made the city the center of Kybira’s conventus (Golhisar-Horzum) because of the geographical setting.
It encompasses the largest stadium in Anatolia, two theaters, four baths, five agoras, five fountains (nymphaeums), long colonnaded streets, impressive temples, and a myriad of churches and basilicas.
Recently the ancient amphitheater of Laodicea was restored to its former glory.
The mammoth task of restoring the ancient amphitheater was undertaken by Simsek and his archeological team in 2003. Now, their project of bringing back the ancient Greek monument, which has a capacity of more than fifteen thousand, has finally been completed.
Speaking to interviewers from the Anadolu Agency, Simsek stated that his restoration team team applied the most recent techniques of international criteria, he said, “This is the most extensive project whose restoration has been completed in such a short time.”
Laodicea’s history
Located near the city of Denizli, Turkey, the archaeological site was added to the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in Turkey in 2013.
It contained one of the “Seven churches of Asia,” which were mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
It was approximately 160 kilometers (99 miles) east of the historic city of Ephesus, which is, of course, also mentioned prominently in the Bible. According to the historian and geographer Strabo, it was on a major road, soon becoming quite wealthy as a result of trade.
Achaeus was its king in 220 BC, but in 188 BC, the city passed to the Kingdom of Pergamon, and, after 133 BC, it fell under Roman rule. It suffered greatly during the Mithridatic Wars but quickly recovered under the dominion of Rome.
The area often suffered from earthquakes, however, especially from the great quake that occurred during the reign of Nero in 60 AD in which the city was completely destroyed. However, its proud inhabitants declined imperial assistance to rebuild the city and restored it themselves.