AIGAI, TURKEY—According to a report by Hürriyet Daily News, archaeological work at the site of Aigai continues to reveal sections of a temple dedicated to the goddess Demeter. Founded in the eighth century b.c., Aigai was one of the 12 cities established by Aeolian Greeks in western Anatolia. The site is more famous for its temples of Apollo and Athena, but the existence of a shrine to Demeter has been known since the late nineteenth century, when an inscription mentioning the goddess was found. Recent excavations led by Manisa Celal Bayar University archaeologist Yusuf Sezgin uncovered two small rooms associated with the Hellenistic-era sanctuary, in which they found almost 1,000 miniature water jugs, or hydriae. Sezgin believes that because Aigai had a limited amount of arable agricultural land, the city’s inhabitants attached special importance to Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility. It is likely that worshippers filled the small ceramic vessels with water from natural springs and left them in the temple as votive gifts to the deity. “Water actually represents abundance and fertility here and, as the most vital need for agriculture, it was extremely precious,” Sezgin said. To read about figurines dedicated as votive offerings to Demeter, go to "Artifact: Greek Terracotta Dolls."
