MISSING HEAD OF ANCIENT HYGIEIA GREEK STATUE FINALLY UNEARTHED AFTER 2 THOUSAND YEARS

The most common method used by the Greeks to immortalise their gods was through the creation of exquisite, majestic stone statues. In their whole or in part, many of these statues still stand today and provide insight into a vanished era of worship and art. Statues in previously undiscovered locations are still being found by archaeologists. Two fascinating discoveries have recently been made during archaeological excavations in ancient Laodicea on the Lycus, which is now in Turkey.

First, near an old theatre, a statue of the Greek deity of medicine, Asclepius, was found. The head of a statue that showed his daughter Hygieia, the goddess of cleanliness and health, was then discovered by archaeologists.

Located next to rivers in a busy trading area, Laodicea on the Lycus was an ancient city in Asia Minor. The Seleucid Empire, a Hellenistic empire that arose after Alexander the Great's empire was divided, established it in the third century BCE. The architecture of the city, which includes temples and an agora, is influenced by Greek culture.

The city was incorporated into Roman territory in the second century BCE. Wars and earthquakes eventually caused it to be destroyed and abandoned during the Byzantine era in antiquity. Nonetheless, archaeologists are delighted by the abandoned city ruins today, and they have been especially focused on excavating and restoring its magnificent stepped western theatre.

In 2024, the statue of the god Asclepius was found close to the theatre. His daughter Hygieia's head was also unearthed in May after being buried under the earth. The head was discovered 2,1000 years ago, during the Hellenistic period of the city, according to Professor Celal Şimşek, who oversees the excavations.

He tells the Hurriyet Daily News, "Both statues were made in the classical style in the late Hellenistic-early Augustus Period." The statues of the god and goddess of health attest to the existence of the Herophileion medical school in the ancient city of Laodicea, as well as the fact that one of the notable physicians who trained there was the ancient writer Strabo. Each statue is highly artistically rendered and has exquisite craftsmanship.