1,800-year-old statue found in ancient Metropolis

İZMİR

An 1,800-year-old statue of a woman was unearthed in İzmir, Turkish officials announced on June 12.

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 İzmir’s Torbalı district.

“Our excavations will continue in 2021,” it said, sharing a 39-second video showing the process of unearthing the ancient statue.

The ancient city of Metropolis is located 40 kilometers from İzmir and 45 kilometers from the world-famous ancient city of Ephesus.

The site, which bears traces of Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, has been under excavation for years as part of a project jointly carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Celal Bayar University.