Ancient statue heads found in Knidos

MUĞLA

The excavations in the ancient city of Knidos, located in the Datça district of the southwestern province of Muğla, have unearthed five marble statue heads, one of which is female. The findings, approximately 2,000-years-old, date back to the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Officials reported that the head of the female statue belonged to the Goddess Tykhe, who was known as the protector of cities in the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

The excavations in the ancient city have been carried out under the direction of Selçuk University Archeology Department Faculty member Ertekin Doksanaltı and the statue heads were found in the vicinity of the Corinthian Monument.

Doksanaltı said uninterrupted excavations have been carried out since 2016 in the ancient city within the framework of the 12-month excavation project of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Stating that they encountered such finds for the first time in a long time in Knidos, Doksanaltı said, “The statue heads have the classical period art features and attract attention with their beautiful and perfect details. Knidos is a very big city and these finds show us that we will encounter great surprises at any moment.”