Head of a goddess statue discovered in Aegean province

İZMİR - Anadolu Agency

The head of a mother goddess statue is the first of its kind in Turkey. AA photo

The head of an 8,000-year-old statue of a goddess has been found during excavations in İzmir’s Yeşilova tumulus.

Associate Professor Zafer Derin said they had found very important pieces during this year’s excavations, adding that the four-centimeter head of the statue had a special meaning as it was the first of its kind discovered in Turkey.

Women and fertility were sacred in western Anatolian culture, Derin said, adding that the area was the center of the mother goddess culture. “We have the head of a mother goddess figure. We know that worship of mother goddesses was common in this region in the past, but we have found the four-centimeter head of a goddess statue for the first time in Turkey. People used to put this statue in their home to have healthier children. This small piece is a very beautiful one from 6000 B.C.”

Derin said the name of Anatolia came from the holiness of the mother goddess, according to the view of some, adding that they had seen the same portrayal in pots found in the region.

He said another significant find unearthed during the Yeşilova excavations was a seal in the shape of a shoe. “People used to carry this seal with them and use it when a signature was necessary.”

Derin said the Yeşilova excavations, were currently hosting scientists from Europe and the U.S.