The Zeus Lepsynos Temple from the 2nd century B.C. will be revived to regain its former glory, as archaeological excavations continue in the ancient city of Euromos in the western province of Mugla’s Milas district.
Mugla Sitki Kocman University Archaeology Department academic and Euromos excavations head Abuzer Kizil said the excavations in the ancient city had restarted five years ago after a 36-year hiatus. Kizil said cleaning, drilling, geophysical, mapping, culvert and excavation works have been carried out in recent years in the temple, agora, theatre, necropolis, bath and walls of the ancient city. He said they had important projects to carry out on the Zeus Temple, adding that lots of architectural ruins still existed in the temple.
Stating that the Zeus Temple was one of the best preserved temples in Anatolia, Kizil added, “Among 17 pillars in the temple, 16 are still surviving with their beams. We will continue documenting the architectural elements of the temple.” He said their goal was to revive the blocks on the ground through a comprehensive restoration work and make the temple glorious again.Kizil said that due to its location, Euromos was one of the luckiest ancient cities in Anatolia, and that it was also one of the significant cities of Karia. He also said they were working hard to best promote the Zeus Temple after quality restoration work. “Now the most important thing for us is to get rid of the concrete moulds casted by late Prof. Umit Serdaroglu in the 1970s.
Kizil said the ancient city of Euromos and the Zeus Temple had importance in terms of regional promotion and tourism in addition to its archaeological and scientific importance. “We are still working on it. We enumerate each of thousands of pieces… one by one. The work in this temple is a doctorate thesis. We are working with a research assistant. At the same time, we are working with foreign academics for its restoration. I believe that after the restoration of broken columns the ancient value of this temple will increase.” The Zeus Temple is located by the wayside of the Milas-Soke highway. It is believed that it was constructed in the time of Emperor Hadrian.
Source: Daily Hurriyet
