Possible Phrygian Religious Site Found in Turkey

ESKİŞEHİR, TURKEY—Excavations in central Anatolia have uncovered ovens and hearths at a possible Phrygian religious site dated to the seventh century B.C., according to a Hürriyet Daily News report. Yusuf Polat of Anadolu University said that the ovens and hearths had been placed next to a Phrygian rock altar, and may have been used to cook sacrificed animals and bake bread for religious rituals. Four basins were also carved into a rock platform at the site. An abstract depiction of the mother goddess Matar carved from rock was found near them, he added. The idol and the rock bowls may have been used in abundance and fertility rituals, Polat explained. To read about a Hittite king purportedly conquered Phrygia, go to "Luwian Royal Inscription," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2020.