Ancient statue in Bolu Musem turns out to be Greek goddess

BOLU

A 2,000-year-old painted female head statue, which has been on display at the Bolu Museum in the northwestern province of Bolu for 50 years, has been determined to be the Greek goddess Artemis.

With the initiatives of the Bolu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TSO), works have been started to highlight the city in the field of tourism and culture. Within the scope of the works, studies are being carried out on the artifacts in the Bolu Museum.

A team, including Düzce Konuralp Ancient Theater Excavation Committee board member archaeologist Güzin Bilir, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Faculty of Architecture Deputy Dean Aysun Tuna and other academics of various fields, made examinations on the painted female head sculpture, which is made of crystalline white marble, and got an amazing result.

It was recorded that the female head sculpture, which was determined to be the Greek goddess Artemis, is one of the rare examples in the world in terms of its material.

Speaking at a meeting on March 23, Bolu TSO Chairman Türker Ateş stated that they obtained the necessary permissions from the Culture and Tourism Ministry regarding the reproduction, branding and transformation of the statue into trade.

“The Artemis statue will now be the brand and value of Bolu. We want to announce to the world that this artwork is in Bolu. We will do our best to promote this work, which was unearthed during the construction works in the Akpınar neighborhood in the 1970s,” Ateş said.

Archaeologist Bilir also pointed out that the painted female head statue is Artemis, which is the symbol of wild nature, fertility, hunting and archery.

“The head of Artemis is a highly sophisticated piece of art, possibly made of Athenian marble. The striking point of the work is that it has a dark red dye, especially on her hair. The fact that this statue is painted indicates that it was in an important public building.”

Stating that the statue of Artemis, which dates back to 2,000 years, is a personified symbol of Bolu’s natural beauties, abundance and rich animal fauna, Bilir said: “It is a really valuable artifact. It is very famous in the international community, especially in the archeology world. Foreign tourists will want to see this statue of Artemis when they visit the region. Few European examples of the artifact are also exhibited in very important museums. This statue is an indication of how important Bolu was for the Roman Empire.”