Turkish archaeologists have uncovered remarkable stone heads and components that illuminate ancient religious life in Aizanoi, a city near the Phrygian heartland. The discoveries were reported by Kütahya Dumlupınar University, underscoring a growing understanding of how Greek and local traditions intertwined in this long-settled landscape.
Aizanoi began as a Phrygian settlement on the western edge of the Phrygian kingdom. Over centuries, it rose to prominence during the Hellenistic era under the influence of neighboring powers like Pergamon and Bithynia. By 133 BC, Roman influence consolidated, and much of the city’s monumental fabric—temples, theaters, and civic buildings—was shaped or rebuilt in the ensuing centuries. The bulk of these enduring structures date to the third century AD, a period when Aizanoi stood as a key political and economic hub within the Roman province of Phrygia Pacatiana, reflecting centuries of regional exchange and governance.
In recent fieldwork near the well-preserved Roman bridges spanning Penkalas Creek, a tributary of the Rindakos River, the excavation team has gathered a procession of sculptural fragments that reveal religious devotion and urban life in clear, tangible form. Stone heads depict figures from the Greek pantheon, including Eros, the intimate, sometimes mischievous deity of love; Dionysus, the god associated with ritual ecstasy, theater, and the cultivation of grapevines for wine; and Heracles, the legendary demigod famed for strength and heroic exploits. Several other deities are represented in the stonework, suggesting a diverse pantheon that local people venerated across ages of change and conquest. These heads offer a window into how residents of Aizanoi imagined the divine and integrated it into daily routines, festivals, and public ceremonies that punctuated city life alike.
Among the most striking finds is a nearly finished statue that shows a tall male figure, standing more than two meters high. The statue is only missing the pedestal and one foot, which has complicated immediate identification. Scholars examine typology, stylistic cues, and context within the excavation to determine whether this sculpture commemorates a distinguished citizen, an city founder, or a deity honored by the local community. The discovery hints at a complex social and religious landscape in which monumental sculpture could serve as memory, authority, and shared identity for residents and visitors alike.
Earlier dig activities brought a surprising, almost serendipitous moment: a metal-detecting digger uncovered a Roman gold earring, a small but vivid reminder that wealth circulated in the city across centuries. The artifact adds a tangible dimension to the ongoing story of Aizanoi as a durable center of trade and culture. Each find—whether a heads depicting gods or a single earring—helps to piece together a broader narrative about urban life in this crossroads region, where Phrygian origins, Hellenistic influences, and Roman administration intersect in a way that survives in stone and metal to this day.