Headless Statue of Greek Health Goddess "Hygieia" Unearthed in Turkey

A headless statue of the Greek mythological goddess of health, Hygeia has been unearthed in a 5,000 year old site in modern day Turkey reported Anadolu news agency.

“We unearthed a statue of Hygieia, known as the goddess of health and cleanliness, the daughter of Asclepius, the god of health in Greek and Roman mythology,” said Gokhan Coskun, who coordinates the dig in the ancient city of Aizanoi where the discovery was made recently.

 “Unfortunately, it hasn’t survived to the present day, but in its current form, we can see that this statue is about the size of a human.”

“During past digs in Aizanoi, finds related to Hygieia were also found,” he said.

“This situation makes us think that there may have been some construction and buildings related to the health cult in Aizanoi during the Roman era.”

According to the news report, Aizanoi was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2012, with  around 100 workers and 25 technical personnel working on digs at the ancient site.

“We’re trying to reveal the columned galleries on the west and south wings of the agora (bazaar) and the shops right behind them,” he added.

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