The sculpture was unearthed in Turkey not too long ago, researchers have no idea who the deity it represents might be

Nov 26, 2014 17:03 GMT  ·  By

Not long ago, archaeologist Michael Blömer with Germany's University of Muenster and fellow researchers came across a fairly odd sculpture while excavating a site in present-day Turkey.

The relief in question, a photo of which is included in the gallery below, was discovered among the remains of a Roman temple dating back to the 1st century BC. Hence, it was concluded that it must show a Roman deity.

For now, Michael Blömer and colleagues are utterly clueless about who this deity might be. “It's clearly a god, but at the moment it's difficult to say who exactly it is,” the archaeologist said in a statement, as cited by Live Science.

The deity featured in this 1st century BC relief is shown sporting a rather impressive beard. For some reason, it is depicted as if it were rising up from what seems to be a flower or some other plant.

As detailed by the archaeologists behind this research project, the ancient temple among whose remains the sculpture was discovered was meant to honor the god Jupiter Dolichenus.

Therefore, it could be that this odd figure was merely a subdeity of this more known Roman god. What's really interesting is that the deity's representation includes not just Roman, but also Near Eastern Elements.

Seeing how the deity is depicted emerging from a flower, it could be that it had something to do with agriculture or fertility. However, Michael Blömer and colleagues say that they will only be able to identify it after they find other representations, hopefully complete with inscriptions, someplace else.

Sculpture found in Turkey dates back to the 1st century BC (5 Images)

This relief shows an unknown deity
The relief was not too long ago discovered in TurkeyIt was found at the site of a Roman temple
+2more