The 2,700-year-old goddess sculpture is found in the Aegean Sea

A new ceramic sculpture is said to be one of Turkey's largest underwater archaeological sites found off the coast of Bozburun city in the western province of Marmaris Muğla district.

According to archaeologists, this new sculpture of about 2,700 years old, found in a pile of wreckage ships under the sea, has begun excavating since November 2016. And most importantly, the group thought that this sculpture was the statue of the Cypriot goddess .

The relics of the goddess are found by scientists and archaeologists of Dokuz Eylül Marine Science and Technology University (DEU) at 43m on the Aegean seabed.

Associate Professor Harun Özdaş of the EBAMER Application Institute, the chief executive of the excavation, said that the excavation had been approved by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and National Development.

He added that the ancient sculpture of the goddess was found in an area of ​​300 square meters, providing very important evidence of the Mediterranean culture of the Mediterranean Sea.

'We found the ceramic sculpture of the Cypriot goddess in a perfect structure and is no different from modern sculptures and it is the first, largest ancient statue found in the Turkish Aegean Sea' .

" In addition, the group added that the Aegean Sea is an important sea, an exchange place, adjacent to ancient cultures and civilizations in the Mediterranean region and a 2,700-year-old goddess sculpture. This age is an important proof of cultural exchange, ancient civilization, 'said Associate Professor Harun Özdaş.  

Özdaş said the archaeological team has found many other ceramic sculptures under the sand pile at the excavated ship site.

'When we clean the undersea surroundings, we first see the sculptures' toes. It surprised us and was very happy. After that, we swept the sand and found the lower part of the statue. However, the upper part of the statue from the hips and back is not found. According to the conjecture, it is a statue of a woman who walks barefoot, wears a skirt up to her feet, a size of 1.2m. "

The team now has to stop searching for the upper part of the sculpture because of weather conditions that are not allowed. And the group hopes to continue doing more excavations to find the rest of the sculpture.

' According to experts, this statue is of the Cyprus goddess, of the 7th century BC '.

And finally, Associate Professor Harun Özdaş added that this sculpture was taken to the laboratory, under the Bodrum Underwater Museum.

In addition, the group found another statue of Cyprus Amphoras in ruins and it was also taken to conservation. Many judgments suggest that these statues belong to the wrecked ancient ship when it goes from the Mediterranean to the Aegean Bay, sinking. This excavation now provides more important new information about the relationship between the Mediterranean civilizations and the Aegean sea civilization.