Bronze statue fragments found in ancient scrap yard

Bronze statue fragments found in ancient scrap yard

İZMİR
Bronze statue fragments found in ancient scrap yard

Approximately 2,000 bronze statue fragments have been discovered in a section believed to have served as an "ancient scrap yard" in İzmir's ancient city of Metropolis.

 

The excavations in this historical site, located in Torbalı district, are being carried out under the leadership of Professor Serdar Aybek, a faculty member of the Archaeology Department at Dokuz Eylül University.

 

Aybek stated that the bronze statue fragments were found in a corner of a space referred to as an "ancient scrap yard," where they had been broken apart for melting and stored in bulk.

 

Aybek explained that the findings include statue pieces from the Hellenistic period and figures from the Roman era, describing them as "extraordinary discoveries, even for our field of work. We have uncovered approximately 2,000 bronze statue fragments," he said.

 

He highlighted the significance of the bronze statues being broken into pieces, noting, "The collection and recycling of statues in the Late Antiquity provide concrete evidence in Metropolis. Among the findings are parts such as heads, eyes, fingers, and sandals."

 

Drawing attention to the dismantling of these statues, Aybek said, "In the Late Antiquity, as mythological beliefs were abandoned in favor of monotheistic religions and Christianity became dominant in the region, bronze statues from mythological and earlier eras were dismantled. Although we do not yet have archaeological evidence to confirm this claim, we can suggest that a significant portion of them was repurposed for minting coins. During that period, rather than producing new materials, bronze groups, mainly consisting of outdated or damaged statues, were broken apart by the ancient scrap yard worker and prepared for melting."

 

Aybek emphasized the historical importance of bronze statues in antiquity and noted that the fragments could belong to the statues erected to honor benefactors mentioned in the "Metropolitan Apollonios" inscription.