Figurines Unearthed at Ancient Antakya Hippodrome

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—According to a Hürriyet Daily News report, archaeologists have uncovered two fragments of terracotta figurines in the southern province of Hatay within Antakya's Küçükdalyan neighborhood. A team led by Hatice Pamir of Hatay Mustafa Kemal University uncovered an area including a hippodrome, temple, and palace complex. At the site of the hippodrome, archaeologists unearthed a head that dates to the second century B.C., which may have been part of a child's toy, as well as the head and partial body of a figure that likely depicts an individual ancient philosophers referred to as a "sophist." This figure, which dates to between 300 and 200 B.C. during the early Hellenistic period, was likely cast by an artist without a mold. "'Sophists' conveyed intellectual knowledge as philosophers and itinerant educations," Pamir said. "The emergence of a Hellenistic Period artifact is extremely important in terms of demonstrating that intellectual education was conducted during that era." The artifacts are now at the Hatay Archaeology Museum for preservation work. To read more about archaeology in Turkey, go to "Preventing the Return of the Dead."