Three ancient terracotta figurines preserved in a museum in northern Turkey are shedding light on how the cult of Aphrodite spread across the Black Sea through trade, settlement, and religious exchange. A new study links the figures from the area of ancient Amisos with depictions of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, found in cities around the sea.
Archaeologist Elif İlcan of Atatürk University examined the pieces at the Samsun Archaeology and Ethnography Museum. By comparing their poses, hairstyles, and craftsmanship with other ancient finds, she traced artistic connections between northern Anatolia and settlements along the Black Sea coast.
The oldest of the three shows a nude figure with a gently curved stance. Dating from the late second to the first century B.C., it resembles examples from several Greek cities, including sites on the northern Black Sea coast. The figurine has lost its head, arms, and lower legs, but its distinctive posture remains visible.
Different sculptures reflect a shared image of Aphrodite
A second figure, dated from the late first century B.C. to the first century A.D., shows a woman crouching with her arms folded across her chest. Her hair rises into a bow-shaped knot, a hairstyle seen in other ancient representations of goddesses.
The third figure is missing its head and parts of its limbs. It sits beside a water jar, with fabric draped across the lower body. Its design recalls the celebrated Knidian Aphrodite, a sculpture created by the Greek artist Praxiteles in the fourth century B.C.
The similarities connect the Samsun collection with a much wider tradition of clay figures. Comparable depictions have been identified at Myrmekion, Chersonesos, Gorgippia, and other Black Sea settlements, where artists adapted familiar images in different ways.
From Amisos to Olbia, researchers trace the cult of Aphrodite around the Black Sea through ancient figurines, sanctuaries and inscriptions. pic.twitter.com/lgV4j40eD6
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) October 16, 2026
The spread of Aphrodite worship also appears in the remains of ancient sacred sites. At Olbia, archaeologists uncovered a temple near the harbor, along with pottery and inscriptions dedicated to the goddess. The location reflects her role as a deity associated with the sea.
Temples trace the cult of Aphrodite across the Black Sea
At Berezan, another temple yielded terracotta figures believed to have arrived from Miletus, the ancient Greek city that established colonies along the coast.
At Histria, in present-day Romania, excavations revealed temple remains and a base for a statue dedicated to Aphrodite. Sanctuaries associated with her have also been identified at Phanagoria, Hermonassa and Kepoi.
Near Samsun, excavations uncovered a burned layer and early female figurines linked to religious customs associated with Miletus.
The research places these discoveries within the expansion of Greek settlements around the Black Sea beginning in the seventh century B.C. Together, figurines, temples, and inscriptions show how devotion to Aphrodite became part of the region’s connected religious life.
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