Efsun Erbalaban Yılmaz
July 01, 2021•Update: July 01, 2021
IZMIR, Turkey
The Satyr relief and statues from the ancient city of Smyrna will be on display to visitors for the first time as of Thursday at the Izmir Archeological Museum in Turkey’s Izmir province.
Unearthed from the Smyrna Agora and excavations near the city center, the artifacts shed light on the history of Izmir.
Other artifacts dug out in the excavations, which have been ongoing for nearly a year, will be exhibited for history and art enthusiasts once the restoration and conservation processes are complete.
The restoration process for the Satyr relief, one of the most significant archeological finds of 2020, has been completed as well.
Hunkar Keser, director of the Izmir Archeological Museum, told Anadolu Agency that the exhibition will be expanded with findings from other excavations.
Akin Ersoy, an academic at Izmir Katip Celebi University and the head of the excavation committee, said three of the artifacts date back to the Roman period.
"We will exhibit the artifacts dating back to the second century, which marks one of the brightest eras for the history of Izmir,” he said. “They will be presented to visitors for the first time in the 14-year-long excavations.”
He said the Satyr relief depicted the rituals related to Dionysius, a Greek god associated with the protection of theaters.
“We found the Satyr relief during the stage excavations,” Ersoy said.
“The relief, which was brought from Thasos Island and was carved in Anatolian lands, is of historical importance connecting the two sides of the Aegean.”
*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara
