A 1,800-year-old Greek statue of a woman was unearthed in Turkey’s western Izmir province (Smyrna), Turkish officials announced on Saturday.
In a Twitter post, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Department of Excavations said the statue was found in the ancient city of Metropolis located in Izmir’s Torbali district, and noted: “Our excavations will continue in 2021.”
The ancient city of Metropolis is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the western Izmir (Smyrna) and 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the world-renowned ancient city of Ephesus.
Metropolis was a part of the Hellenistic kingdom of Pergamum and during this period the city reached a zenith of cultural and economic life. A temple dedicated to the war god Ares, one of only two known such temples, has been located here.
What is visible today is primarily a heavily Romanised, Hellenistic city with Byzantine remains laid across it. A church to the east of the city and fortification walls spread across and connect to the defences of its acropolis.
