(ORDO NEWS) — The 1800-year-old marble bathtub, which was seized when it was going to be sold by smugglers of historical artifacts in the Karacasu district of Aydın, was delivered to the directorate of the Aphrodisias Museum.
Experts said that the 1-ton marble bathtub with a lion’s head relief has no analogues in Turkey.
The 1800-year-old marble bathtub, which was seized when it was about to be sold, during an operation carried out by the gendarmerie on March 31 against smugglers of historical artifacts, weighs 1 ton and has a length of 1 meter 80 centimeters.
On the right and left sides of the bath there are reliefs in the form of lion heads, which symbolize strength and power.
The experts noted that it was estimated that the bath could have been used by a government official or a wealthy merchant. During the research, it was noted that the work, which stands out as the only marble bath among the baths found so far, has no analogues in Turkey.
Aydin Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Umut Tuncer said: “The ancient city of Aphrodisias was one of the richest cities of its time.
We believe that the marble bath is an important part of the history of this city, which dates back to the 1st century BC. 1800 years old, is one of the rare examples in the world because it is made entirely of marble.”
“There are bathtubs made from a variety of clay compositions that have been found in Turkey before, but this all-marble construction really expresses the wealth of this region and the welfare of the society of that period.”
Aphrodisias was an important city in its own right, like other Roman and Byzantine cities. Aphrodisias was surrounded by fertile soil for growing all kinds of nutrients and was the first city of that era.
In addition, there was an elegant wall and cotton industry, developed commercial, political, religious and cultural institutions, a great tradition of art and painting, philosophy and a world-famous school of sculpture.
In ancient times, Aphrodisias was indeed quite famous for his skillful sculptors, high quality marble statues and an important sculptural workshop that was discovered during excavations. The marble quarries near the city were an important factor in Aphrodisias becoming a leading center for the arts.
In the 4th to 6th centuries AD, Aphrodisian sculptors were in great demand for making marble busts and statues for important figures of the Roman Empire.
Their products were considered the best marble statues of that time and were exhibited in such large cities as Rome, Constantinople, Sardis, Laodicea and Stratonikeia. Among the surviving works of Aphrodisian sculptors is Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli.
It was stated that after the completion of the official process, the bath would be restored and opened to the public at the Aphrodisias Museum.
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