Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
Archaeologists found a very old statue in Turkey. The statue is about 1,800 years old. It shows a Greek god.
The god's name is Asklepios. He is the god of medicine and healing. In the statue, a small figure stands next to him. The small figure is his son, Telesphoros.
The statue is big. It is 2.2 meters tall. Workers found it near an old city gate. The city is called Aspendos.
Aspendos is a famous old city in Turkey. It has a very old Roman theater. Many tourists visit it today.
- archaeologist
- a person who studies old objects and places from the past
- statue
- a model of a person or animal, usually made of stone or metal
- ancient
- very old, from a long time ago
- healing
- making sick or hurt people well again
- discover
- to find something for the first time
- gate
- an opening in a wall or fence, often with a door
- theater
- a building where plays and shows are performed
- tourist
- a person who travels to visit a place for fun
Level 2 - Elementary
Archaeologists working at the ancient city of Aspendos in southern Turkey have announced the discovery of a marble statue group about 1,800 years old. The sculpture shows Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine and healing, standing tall next to his son and assistant, Telesphoros.
The statue dates to the late 2nd century AD, during the time when the Roman Empire controlled the region. Asklepios stands facing forward, a mature man with a long beard and thick hair, while Telesphoros stands much smaller beside his foot, wearing a long hooded robe.
The team found the statue near the remains of a large public gate on the western side of the city's Eastern Square, along a street once known as Theater Street. Because the statue stood near this ceremonial gate, archaeologists believe worship of Asklepios took place openly in a public part of the city.
Aspendos is well known today for its remarkably well preserved Roman theater, one of the best surviving examples in the world. Only days after finding the statue, the same team also uncovered a roughly 2,400 year old tomb believed to belong to a wrestler.
- sculpture
- a piece of art made by carving or shaping material such as stone
- assistant
- a person who helps another person with their work
- empire
- a large group of countries or peoples ruled by one government or ruler
- ceremonial
- used for formal public events or rituals
- worship
- to show deep respect and love for a god
- remarkably
- in a way that is surprising or worth noticing
- preserved
- kept safe and in good condition over time
- tomb
- a place, such as a room or structure, where a dead body is buried
Level 3 - Intermediate
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Aspendos in Turkey's Antalya province have announced the discovery of a 2.2 meter marble sculpture group depicting Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine and healing, alongside his son and attendant, Telesphoros. The find, revealed on August 6, 2026, is dated to the final quarter of the second century AD, placing it firmly within the Roman Imperial period.
The sculpture presents Asklepios frontally as a mature, bearded figure with long, thick hair, a conventional pose for depictions of the healing god across the Greco-Roman world. Telesphoros, by contrast, appears at a far smaller scale beside his father's left foot, wrapped in a long hooded garment that conceals most of his body, a distinctive iconography associated with this minor deity of convalescence.
The statue group was recovered among the remains of the northern wing of a monumental gate on the western side of Aspendos's Eastern Square, along a thoroughfare known as Theater Street. Its placement in this prominent, ceremonial location leads researchers to conclude that the cult of Asklepios was practiced openly and held public significance within the city, rather than being confined to a private shrine.
The discovery arrived just days before the same excavation team uncovered a separate find nearby: a tomb, roughly 2,400 years old, believed to belong to a wrestler. Aspendos, a UNESCO listed site, is already celebrated for housing one of the best preserved Roman theaters in existence, and this new sculpture adds another layer to understanding of religious life in the city.
- excavate
- to dig carefully in the ground to find and study old objects or structures
- deity
- a god or goddess
- iconography
- the images and symbols traditionally used to represent a subject in art
- convalescence
- the gradual process of recovering health and strength after an illness
- monumental
- large, impressive, and built to be noticed or remembered
- thoroughfare
- a main road or public street through an area
- cult
- a system of religious worship or devotion directed toward a particular figure
- shrine
- a place regarded as sacred because of its connection to a holy figure or event
Level 4 - Advanced
Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Aspendos, in Turkey's Antalya province, have unveiled a 2.2 meter marble sculpture group depicting Asklepios, the Greco-Roman god of medicine, alongside his diminutive son and attendant, Telesphoros. Announced on August 6, 2026, the work is dated to the final quarter of the second century AD, situating it squarely within the flourishing civic culture of the Roman Imperial period.
Rendered frontally as a mature, bearded figure with long, luxuriant hair, Asklepios conforms to the conventional iconography that circulated across the Greco-Roman world for depictions of the healing deity. Telesphoros, by contrast, is rendered at a markedly diminished scale beside his father's left foot, enveloped in a long hooded garment that obscures most of his form, an established visual shorthand for this secondary god associated with convalescence and the restoration of health.
The sculpture group's recovery among the remains of the northern wing of a monumental gate, on the western flank of the city's Eastern Square along the thoroughfare known as Theater Street, is not incidental to its interpretation. Its situation within so conspicuous and ceremonial a threshold indicates that veneration of Asklepios was neither marginal nor cloistered but integrated into the civic and processional life of the city, a public assertion of the deity's stature rather than a private devotional gesture.
The discovery preceded, by only days, the same team's recovery of a separate find nearby, a tomb roughly 2,400 years old believed to belong to a wrestler, underscoring the archaeological richness still being drawn from this UNESCO listed site. Aspendos is already renowned for one of the best preserved Roman theaters extant anywhere, and this sculpture group now furnishes tangible evidence of the specific religious currents, centered on healing and civic wellbeing, that animated public life within its walls. The photograph accompanying this article shows the Aspendos theater itself, since no image of the newly recovered statue has yet been made available on Wikimedia Commons.
- diminutive
- extremely small in size
- veneration
- deep respect and reverence, especially for something considered sacred
- cloistered
- shut away or isolated from the outside world
- processional
- relating to a formal procession or ceremonial movement through a public space
- civic
- relating to a city or the public life and affairs of its citizens
- extant
- still existing; not destroyed or lost
- conspicuous
- clearly visible and noticeable, standing out
- flourishing
- growing or developing in a healthy, vigorous way
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