Mother Goddess stele on display in İzmir

İZMİR

A historical marble stele featuring mother goddess Cybele and her lions, unearthed in the Ancient City of Ephesus in the Selçuk district of İzmir, has been put on display for the first time.

As part of the “12 Months, 12 Exhibitions” project, carried out by the İzmir Archaeology Museum Directorate, the artifacts that have been registered in the museum inventory and have not been exhibited before are now open to visitors.

The cult and ritual artifacts selected by authorities from the museum collection have been placed around the central showcase of the İzmir Archaeology Museum Treasure Room and in the foyer.

The approximately 2,200-year-old stele, found in the ancient city of Ephesus, is being shown in the exhibition this month. There is a depiction of the mother goddess Cybele, two lions, and two people in the artwork, which was produced with relief technique.

Speaking about the artworks on display, İzmir Museum Director Cengiz Topal said: “Cybele is an Anatolian goddess. It is the continuation of the mother goddess tradition starting with Çatalhöyük Mother Goddess. It symbolizes abundance, fertility, and mountains. It is mostly found in the mountains. It is placed on rocky areas to increase fertility and abundance. This stele, which dates back to some 2,200 years, is made of marble. The mother goddess Cybele and her lions are depicted on the artifact, which is about 30 centimeters in width and 40 centimeters in length, and embroidered with relief technique.”

The İzmir Archeology Museum brings together 12 unique artifacts preserved in its warehouses within the scope of the “You Will See What You Don’t See” project. As part of the project, an artifact will be exhibited every month throughout the year.