Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – A temple dedicated to Demeter is being excavated during ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Aigai. Aigai is located in the western province of Manisa in Turkey’s Aegean Region.
Excavations in the ancient city of Aigai, which dates back to the eighth century B.C. Image source:
Demeter, one of the twelve Olympian gods, was worshipped as the goddess of soil, grain, agriculture, and fertility. For an agrarian society like ancient Greece, this divinity was clearly of the utmost importance in daily life and religion.
Dated back to to the eighth century B.C., Aigai was one of the 12 cities founded by the Aeolian people in Western Anatolia.
Since 2004, extensive archaeological efforts have led to the discovery and analysis of enormous number of artifacts and structures within this historic site.
Ruins of the ancient city of Aigai, discovered during earlier excavations. Hurriyet Daily News
In addition to numerous findings that shed light on the history of the period, the city also hosts three temples identified as belonging to the pagan belief system. In previous excavations, the temples of Athena and Apollo were uncovered. This season’s archaeological efforts are concentrating on a temple thought to be dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture and fertility in the ancient Greek world, along with its surrounding area.
Professor Yusuf Sezgin leads the excavation activities within the ancient city, and serves as the head of the Archaeology Department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Manisa Celal Bayar University.
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, he said that this year, the team was working in a special area of the ancient city that had not been excavated before. This place is located about 30 meters west of the theater, near the cliffs and at the foot of the city wall, where the mysterious temple structure stands.
Ruins of the ancientr city of Aigai. Source
The team unearthed the structure, which is of about 50 square meters and dates back to the Hellenistic period. It consists of two rooms, filled with a large number of miniature hydria (water vessels). It was once dedicated to the goddess Demeter according to an inscription found by German researchers who came to Aigai in 1886.
Sezgin emphasized that due to the limited amount of agricultural land in Aigai, which lies in a rather barren region, of the country, the local community held Demeter in high esteem, drawing inspiration from the goddess’s nurturing spirit and the abundance of blessings she bestowed.
Her presence was a constant reminder of the power of growth and renewal.
Mosaic depicting the Greek god Poseidon from the ancient Greek city of Aigai (earlier excavations). Image credit: Anadolu Agency
Professor Sezgin explained that a temple was constructed at this location to honor the goddess. However, in the 1960s, illegal excavations caused significant damage to the site. During these unauthorized digs, numerous artifacts were uncovered, including votive offerings dedicated to the goddess. Notably among these findings are miniature hydriae—small versions of water-carrying vessels—which were specifically offered in devotion to her.
In ancient Greece, vessels served multiple purposes, including the collection of water, oil, votes, ashes, and prizes. Water held particular significance as it symbolized abundance and fertility. Given its crucial role in agriculture, water was considered extremely valuable.
It is believed that people would gather water from natural springs and place it into these small vessels as offerings or leave them as votive gifts, according to the researcher, who added that approximately 1,000 miniature hydria have been documented so far, underlining that these findings demonstrate the cultural and religious importance that the people of Aigai attributed to Demeter.
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer