2,000-Year-Old Roman Makeup Found in Turkey Mirrors Modern Blush and Eyeshadow Techniques, Remained Remarkably Preserved

Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed cosmetics and jewelry that are thousands of years old, and some of the objects are still intact.

The find was discovered among the remains of a 2,000-year-old market east of the well-preserved Temple of Zeus in Anatolia, a site of intense excavations since its rediscovery in 1998.

Archaeologists discovered 10 different shades of makeup pigments from ancient Rome, mostly shades of red and pink, as well as jewelry, perfume bottles and other cosmetic antiques.

The excavation’s lead archaeologist, Professor Gökhan Coşkun of Dumlupinar University, said ancient Roman makeup is “similar to the blush and eye shadow used today.”

But makeup was just one product offered in what Coşkun has determined was a cosmetics store dedicated to this classical period. agora (market).

Items discovered also included jewelry, perfume bottles and other cosmetic antiques. Above, archaeologists unearth a Roman fountain-like structure at the same ancient excavation site.

The ancient beauty salon, which archaeologists described as now “completely uncovered”, included “several beads belonging to products such as hairpins and necklaces” (above)

“During the excavation here, we found a large number of perfume bottles,” Coşkun said.

“In addition to this, there are jewelry items.”

As he told the Turkish state news agency. Anadolu AjansiThe jewelry included “several beads belonging to products such as hairpins and necklaces used by women” in the store, which he described as now ‘completely discovered.’

While Coşkun noted that not all of the finds were in a “very well-preserved state”, and that some remained only as fragments “found in pieces of 1 or 2 millimeters (0.04 in)”, some could still fetch a good price. today.

“During the excavation we also found well-preserved pieces,” Coşkun said.

Coşkun, who is also a professor of classical archeology at the university, told the news agency that makeup during Greco-Roman times, including eye shadow and blush, was often stored inside oyster shells, like an organic compact. and Mediterranean.

“We also found a large number of oyster shells in the tent we excavated,” the archaeologist said.

The site’s lead archaeologist, Gökhan Coşkun, professor of classical archeology at Dumlupinar University, told reporters that makeup during Greco-Roman times, including eye shadows and blush, was often stored inside oyster shells ( above), like an organic Mediterranean compact.

While Coşkun noted that not all of the finds were in a “very well-preserved state”, and that some remained only as fragments “found in pieces of 1 or 2 millimeters (0.04 in)”, some could still fetch a good price. today. Coşkun said that during the excavation some “well-preserved pieces” were found.

Turkish archaeologists have been carefully working at the ancient site since 2011, taking over from the German Archaeological Institute, whose own work dating back to 1970 uncovered a theatre, five bridges and two public baths, among other structures.

In 2012, a Turkish delegation to the United Nations nominated the Temple of Zeus, and the entire surrounding ancient city of Aizanoi, for UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List for consideration as a preserved historical site.

“This is a very important city from a religious point of view,” archaeologist Görkem Kökdemir of Ankara University told Anadolu Ajansı news agency.

“We can call it the city of ‘gods and goddesses’.”

In 2012, a Turkish delegation to the UN nominated the Temple of Zeus (above) and the surrounding ancient city of Aizanoi to UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage to be considered a preserved historical site. The site was first rediscovered in 1824 and then lost again.

The city was captured by the Romans in 133 BC. C. and it is believed that it reached its true peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. C. Above, an ‘acroterion’ or architectural ornament, in front of the Temple of Zeus. Archaeologists call Aizanoi “the city of gods and goddesses”

“This follows from the work carried out so far,” Kökdemir explained to the news service upon discovering the entrance gate to the temple of Zeus in September 2021.

“Special shrines were built here for many gods and goddesses,” he said.

Located about 35 miles from the present-day city center of Kutahya, the ancient Temple of Zeus city of Aizanoi was first rediscovered in 1824 by European travelers and then partially excavated by German archaeologist Karl Humann in the early 1890s. .

But the entire ancient metropolis was soon abandoned and lost again for decades.

Modern excavations at the site suggest multiple levels of settlement, dating back to 3000 BC. C., including the 2,300-year-old Temple of Zeus in what was formerly the Greek city of Magnesia.

The city was captured by the Roman Empire in 133 BC. C. and it is believed that it reached its true peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. c.

While Turkish archaeologists had not previously found many beauty projects from the classical period at the site, they have identified several places that Roman citizens may have wanted to look glamorous.: a stadium, a commercial building, several necropolises and “the sacred cave of Peter Steune”.

Anadolu Ajansı describes the cave as “a cult site believed to have been used before the 1st century BC.”

“In ancient cities, people did not worship a single deity, but several gods or goddesses,” according to Kökdemir.

‘In Magnesia, the first deity is Artemis and the second deity is Zeus.

‘It is very significant, it is the second important cult [of Magnesia].’

Reportedly, since 2021, the management of the excavation project has been transferred to the authority of the Kutahya Museum Directorate.