Sayı 12- Nisan / Haziran 2013 - Antalya Rehberler Odası

Artemis Disc With the
Depiction of Twelve Signs
M. Edip OZGUR,
Archaeologist - Tour Guide
This article is a result of a
longlasting desire and excitement
felt to put down on paper
the exciting story of one of the
findings of the excavations in
Perge of 65-plus years. I was
hoping to put down on paper
the interesting story of the “Zodiac
Disc” that I passed by for
at least 25 years and watched
as if to say good morning for
hundreds of mornings before
everyone in a very popular
publication one day. It has
been in the destiny of the 12 th
issue of ARO Quarterly. I thank
to the editorial board and to my
valuable friend Kadir ZENGIN
who took the photos, and I respectfully
commemorate my
late Professor Prof. Dr. Somay
ONURKAN the publication of
whom I referred.
There are works of art
that we can watch endlessly,
our emotions of
admiration and appreciation
ceil. And there are
works of art which make
us think, and trigger the
functions of reminiscence
and connotation
of our brain.
The “Artemis Disc with the
Depiction of Twelve Signs”
that I will try to explain is in the
top ranks of the list of works of
art in the second group. Just
what the reliefs on the marble
disc which is dated middle of
2 nd century A.D. with a diameter
of 0.90 m and a thickness
of 5.6 cm remind, from the cult
story of thousands of years of
the Anatolian goddess Artemis
to the temples, from the colorful
mythological stories to her
statues! While jumping from
one of the figures to the other,
our brain almost falls into a
vortex of connotation.
The marble disc, which depicts
the most interesting of the Artemis
reliefs uncovered by far
in Perga, was found by great
chance during the construction
of a temporary village house
on the plain in the outskirts of
the Belen Hill naturally bordering
the south-east of the
city. It is carved of a type of
fine-mesh purple-veined marble
uncommon in the Perga
statues, and its back side is
roughly engraved. The clamps
on the top, bottom and both
sides point out that it was hung
somewhere.
A band with a thickness of
7-8 cm frames around the
disc, and there are the reliefs
of the twelve signs inside this
band which are identical to
the symbols of today. And on
the surface of the inner circle,
which has a diameter of 0.82
m, the goddess Artemis and
related figures around her are
depicted. Although the surface
of reliefs are quite worn and
broken, the figures and related
topics can be defined easily.
Apart from the broken symbol
of a sign on the left side, the
complete block is in quite good
and solid state.
The band surrounding the disc
is divided into twelve parts
of about 20 cm, and there is
the relief of the symbol of a
sign in each of them. Starting
from over the fracture on the
left side, respectively; there
is Capricornius in the form of
fish-tailed wild goat and Sagittarius
beside as the horse-man
kentauros holding a bow in his
hand in the first part. Scorpio
follows them. Then, there is
Libra depicted as a figure in
a flying state with both arms
opened from side to side, holding
a scales in the right hand.
Virgo is depicted in a similar
way to the previous Libra,
holding two stems of spike in
both hands stretched to both
sides. Then come Leo, Cancer,
Gemini, Taurus, Aries,
and Pisces respectively. The
tail part of Pisces is broken,
and there should be Aquarius
in the next broken part.
The most important part of the
interior surface is the relief on
the upper half of the circle depicting
the goddess over her
waist with a height of 0.40 m.
The head is completely broken,
the upper surface of the
body is worn. The upper part
of the quiver between the tip
of shoulder and neck, and the
band holding this can be made
out on the left hand side.
And on the right side, although
worn out, it can be understood
that her clothing covers the
shoulders and extends under the
breasts with horizontal waves.
The two ends of the crescent
moon rise behind the shoulders,
and there are two symbolic stars
on the sides of ends.