Ancient temple offerings on display for the first time

İZMİR

Temple offerings from various periods were put on display at the İzmir Archaeology Museum.

The artifacts that have been kept in storage and have not been displayed before are on display as part of the museum’s “12 Months 12 Exhibitions” project. In this month’s exhibition, a total of 10 temple offerings such as votive nails and medallions made of terracotta, bronze and lead materials, started to be exhibited.

The museum reported that a terracotta temple model from the Hellenistic period, which is among the works, was found in 2013 in the ancient city of Kyme, near the Aliağa district of İzmir.

Another prominent temple offering is a lead medallion with a temple depiction, found in 2012 in the ancient city of Metropolis in Torbalı district. Many votive nails with human figures are also on display. It is stated that the votive nails belong to the Hittite period.

Three statuettes, depicting the carrying of a sacrificial ram on the shoulder, which were found in the ancient city of Neonteikhos in Menemen in 2018, are also on display for the first time for history buffs.

Speaking about the offerings, İzmir Archaeology Museum official Elvan Tural Tercan said, “While the people of the period made offerings to the gods and goddesses, they benefited from its iconographic features. For example, they made an offering to benefit from the power of Athena. That’s why they offered swords and shields. They wanted Athena to protect themselves. In the offerings made to the temples of Aphrodite, built on the slopes overlooking the sea, they wanted to travel safely in the sea. These offerings are objects that symbolize their demand. These objects are frequently found during excavations. They form a large part of the museum collections.”