An estimated 2,100-year-old rare marble statue of Cybele, the mother goddess of Anatolia, has been unearthed in excavations in Ordu, which is a port city on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The historic sculpture of Cybele sitting on her throne weighs 200 kilos and is about 110 centimeters tall.
The ancient artifact was unearthed in excavations launched by a team of 25 archeologists led by the head of the Department of Archeology in Gazi University, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yücel Şenyurt. The professor said that they were proud to unearth such a rare artifact in Turkey.
The professor also noted that the first attempts to conduct excavations in the area were made ​​about 6 years ago, but had been postponed for various reasons. Cybele, an Anatolian mother goddess, is the symbol of prosperity with her pregnant belly, seated on her throne.
In Anatolian mythology she was the personification of the earth. In Greek mythology in which she was equated to Earth-goddess Gaia, Cybele was mostly associated with fertile nature, mountains, town and city walls, as well as wild animals such as lions.