Ancient sculpture pieces put together

ANTALYA

Thousands of pieces that have been unearthed during the Myra and Andriake excavations in the southern province of Antalya’s Demre district are being put together.

“This work we are doing is like digging in an office. Thousands of pieces are being completed like a big ancient puzzle,” said the head of excavations Professor Nevzat Çevik.

During the excavations that were carried out in the Roman Theater Orchestra in the 2020-2021 season, 70 terracotta sculptures were unearthed. The fact that the sculptures were found together in such a large number made a huge impact in the world of archeology. Along with 70 intact sculptures, thousands of fragments and male and female heads were also found during the excavations.

This year there are no field excavations in Myra and Andriake. The ancient fragments were cleaned by the excavation team and separated according to their type. Each piece was placed inside cotton to prevent them from breaking. The small pieces are being put together with meticulous work in the excavation laboratory.

“I think that when thousands of pieces unearthed in the orchestra of the theater during the Myra and Andriake excavations are combined, we can reach very large and important findings. The examples we have, especially for terracotta sculpture works, are of great importance in various aspects,” said Sema Talu, a member of the excavation team.