Turkish archaeologists discover head of statue of goddess Gigaea

By Alimat Aliyeva

A team of archaeologists excavating the site of the ancient settlement of Laodicea in Denizli province in southwestern Turkiye has discovered the upper part of a statue of Hygeia, the goddess of health of the ancient Greeks, Azernews reports.

The 2,100-year-old statue of the daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine, was discovered by experts led by Professor Jalal Shimshay from Pamukkale University.

Sharing a photo of the find on social media, Simsek noted that the statue has been underground for about two thousand years.

In ancient Greek mythology, Hygeia is often depicted with a bowl in her left hand and a snake wrapped around her right arm.