Istanbul, August 2 : Archaeologists have unearthed two piers belonged to the first century A. D. in the ancient city of Aphrodisias in Turkey.

According to Professor Dr. Roland Smith of the Oxford University, who heads the archaeological excavations in the ancient city, they found pieces of a beautiful arch and two piers during this year’s excavations.

Aphrodisias was a small city in Caria, Asia Minor. It is located near the modern village of Geyre, Turkey, about 230 km from Izmir.

Aphrodisias was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love, who had here her unique cult image, the Aphrodite of Aphrodisias.

The city was built near a marble quarry that was extensively exploited in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and sculptors in marble from Aphrodisias became famous in the Roman world.

Many examples of statuary have been unearthed in Aphrodisias, and some representations of the Aphrodite of Aphrodisias also survive from other parts of the Roman world.

The recent excavations were begun by Kenan Erim under the aegis of New York University in 1962 and are ongoing, currently led by Professor Smith at Oxford University. (ANI)