I’ve always enjoyed Turkey. Ever since arriving on a first visit in the winter of 1987 when Istanbul was covered in a layer of snow I was amazed how many archaeological sites there were just, well, sitting there. At that time I enjoyed minus-zero temperatures and bright blue skies as I wandered an utterly empty Ephesus and enjoyed the isolated backwaters of Dalyan and Kas. Little did we know what Ephesus would look like on a July day or how Dalyan and Kas would evolve into the true adventure centres of the Med!Those ancient Greek and Lycian sites still attract attention and it seems that there are still treasures to find… According to the BBC, “Parts of a giant, exquisitely carved marble sculpture depicting the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius have been found at an archaeological site in Turkey. Fragments of the statue were unearthed at the ancient city of Sagalassos. So far the statue's head, right arm and lower legs have been discovered, high in the mountains of southern Turkey. He reigned from 161AD until his death in 180AD. In addition to his deeds as emperor, Marcus Aurelius is remembered for his writings, and is considered one of the foremost Stoic philosophers. The partial statue was unearthed in the largest room at Sagalassos's Roman baths. Early on 20 August, a huge pair of marble lower legs, broken just above the knee, turned up in the debris. They also found a 1.5m-long (5ft-long) right arm and hand holding a globe which was probably once crowned by a gilded bronze "Victory" figure. But it was the giant marble head which identified this statue as the young Marcus Aurelius. The colossal head, which is just under 1m (3ft) in height, is said to bear his characteristic bulging eyes and beard. Prof Waelkens said the pupils were gazing upwards "as if in deep contemplation, perfectly fitting of an emperor who was more of a philosopher than a soldier".He added that this was one of the finest depictions of the Roman ruler. The emperor wore exquisitely carved army boots decorated with a lion skin, tendrils and Amazon shields. The torso was probably covered in bronze armour filled inside with terracotta or wood. When the niche's vault collapsed in the earthquake, the torso would have exploded.Our Travel Guide to Turkey covers some of the many places of interest in Turkey.
