Archaeologists have unearthed a “spectacular” ancient temple housing hundreds of statues dedicated to the Greek God Apollo.
The site, known as the Sanctuary of Apollo, is located in a remote valley in Cyprus, and the uncovered artifacts are believed to date back 2,700 years.
A team of German experts initially began excavating in the area in 2021, with the finds of their four-year dig disclosed in a statement from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities.
“[The sanctuary] was furnished with a lavish abundance of votive statues numbering in the hundreds, some of which were of colossal dimensions,” the statement, translated from Greek to English, read.
“In addition, evidence of other previously unknown types of votive objects was also found, such as marbled glass beads or Egyptian amulets made of faience [tin-glazed pottery].”
Apollo, the Greek god of archery and the son of Zeus, was a prominent deity in ancient Greek and Roman mythology.
The Sanctuary of Apollo was first discovered by German archaeologist Max Ohnefalsch-Richter in 1885, and was “considered one of the most spectacular finds of its time.”
However, following his “inadequate” excavations, Ohnefalsch-Richter reburied the site, causing its precise whereabouts to be forgotten for over a century.
In 2021, the new team of German archaeologists rediscovered the long-lost temple in the remote valley of Frangrissa, near the ancient city-kingdom of Tamassos.
After conducting a more extensive examination of the site, they uncovered treasures that were initially overlooked, including fragments of colossal statues, parts of which appeared to be feet.
“Apparently in 1885 [the votive statues] were not recognized as artifacts in the rush,” the new statement from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities declared.
Thus, the new finds “fundamentally expand our knowledge of this sacred place.”
“Μany statues in the Cyprus Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum at Toronto can be completed with newly found fragments and thus restored to their original appearance,” the statement continued.
“Completely new types of statues have also been documented that were previously unknown from Frangissa. The discovery of clearly larger-than-life feet, for example, means that the existence of colossal male limestone figures from archaic times can now be proven.”
“Such larger-than-life figures were previously only known here in Frangissa made from terracotta, including the famous ‘Colossus of Tamassos’ in the Cyprus Museum exhibition.”
Meanwhile, the discovery of two inscriptions on the bases of the figures dates them to the 6th and 7th centuries BC.
“The discovery of two bases with inscriptions is spectacular,” the statement read. “One is inscribed with several local Cypro-Syllabic characters, while the other refers in Greek letters to the Ptolemies, the Hellenistic rulers of Egypt who also controlled Cyprus at the time.”
