Ancient sculpture of bell-skirted woman draws interest at Malatya Museum

MALATYA – Anadolu Agency

A sculpture of a woman dating back to 2,000 B.C., discovered in the İmamoğlu mound on an island in the Karakaya Dam Lake in Turkey’s eastern province of Malatya, has been drawing great interest from visitors at the Malatya Museum. 

The eight-centimeter tall sculpture of a woman wearing a bell skirt was discovered during excavations by archaeologist Edibe Uzunoğlu at the mound between 1980 and 1987. 

Malatya Museum official and art historian Samet Erol said the excavations at the İmamoğlu mound had unearthed artifacts from the early Hellenistic, Roman, Iron, Bronze and Chalcolithic ages. 

Erol said war tools and jewelry had been unearthed at the mound, bearing remarkable traces of life up to 4,000 years ago. 

“The most important artifacts found there include sculptures. There are sculptures of woman and birds. The woman sculpture with a bell skirt is from the Bronze Age and shows us the dresses of women in this age,” he added. 

“This sculpture dates back to 2,000 B.C. Women’s dresses were clearly elegant, and her skirt has circular motifs parallel to each other,” Erol said, adding that the sculpture was found in remarkably good condition.