Ancient Greek temple of Aphrodite discovered in Turkey
03 January 2021
Turkish archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a 2,500-year-old temple of the ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite in western Turkey, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Experts studied an area of 1,600 square meters - in the area of the cities of Urla, Cesme and Seferihisar in the province of Izmir. They found 35 settlements of the prehistoric era, including 16 settlements of the late Neolithic era, the RIA Novosti reported. Archaeologist Elif Koparal, who led the excavation in the area, said that the scientists found evidence of a vast socio-economic structure of the period.
“While exploring the surface, we discovered the Temple of Aphrodite built in the 6th century BC. At that time, the cult of Aphrodite was widespread. This is an amazing and impressive find, ”said the scientist.
Aphrodite is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation.
Here is a link to an interesting article about the cult of Aphrodite on the BBC site: "It was an ancient form of sex tourism"
