A marble statue head, evaluated to belong to the Hellenistic period (323 BC – 32 BC), has been unearthed in the Ancient City of Metropolis in the Torbalı district of İzmir.

Metropolis is an Ionian city established on a hill and its slopes between the Yeniköy and Özbey neighborhoods in the Torbalı district of İzmir.

Traces of life in the area date back to the Early Bronze Age.

Excavations in the city, known as the "City of the Mother Goddess," began in 1989 and have been conducted under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Serdar Aybek from Dokuz Eylül University since 2007.

During this year's excavations, the head of a marble goddess statue was found in an area identified as a commercial structure.

Aybek stated that the hair details of the statue head, the portrait features, and the fact that two separate pieces were carved to fit perfectly and joined with a clamp indicate the Hellenistic period.

Thought to Belong to Goddess Hestia

Aybek provided the following information:

• Following the cleaning work meticulously carried out by Restorer Didem Taner, it was observed that a hollow was carved for the eye in the pupil section during the initial construction phase.

• It is understood from similar examples found in Greece that this hollow was likely prepared for colored stones to be added to the statue later. This artifact, estimated to belong to a monumental statue due to its dimensions, offers significant data regarding the city's Hellenistic period sculpture production.

• It is thought to be compatible in terms of measurements with a torso piece found in the Council House (Bouleuterion) in previous years, which is believed to belong to Goddess Hestia, the protector of the council.

• An experimental "eye reconstruction study" carried out on the artifact by Restorer Taner Özgür has illustrated the statue's impressive appearance in the ancient period.