Aigai\u2019s unique 2.7-metre marble figure, the only known surviving Hestia from the Hellenistic era, now on public display<\/strong><\/p>\n A remarkable marble statue of the goddess Hestia, unearthed two decades ago in the ancient Aeolian city of Aigai, has been placed on public view for the first time at the newly opened Manisa Archaeology Museum in western T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n The 2.7-metre-tall sculpture, dating to the Hellenistic period and estimated to be approximately 2,200 years old, was discovered in 2005\u20132006 during excavations of Aigai\u2019s Bouleuterion (council hall) in the Yunusemre district of Manisa. Archaeologists recovered it in two large fragments. It is widely regarded as the only known surviving statue of Hestia from the Hellenistic period.<\/p>\n Hestia, the ancient Greek goddess of the hearth, home and civic order, held special importance in public life. Statues of the goddess were traditionally placed in council buildings, where she symbolised the unity and stability of the polis. In the Roman period she was known as Vesta, and examples of Vesta statues survive in various collections worldwide. No other Hellenistic Hestia of this type is known to have survived.<\/p>\n Excavations at Aigai, one of the twelve cities of the ancient Aeolian League and a settlement with roots going back roughly 2,700 years, have been ongoing since 2004 under the direction of Professor Yusuf Sezgin of Manisa Celal Bayar University. The statue remained in storage for nearly twenty years until suitable museum space became available.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the only known statue of Hestia from the Hellenistic period to have reached us,\u201d said Professor Sezgin. \u201cIt stood in the heart of Aigai\u2019s public life, overseeing council decisions as a divine symbol of civic unity and order. In the Roman period the goddess was called Vesta, and you can find Vesta statues in museums around the world. But this is the only known example from the Hellenistic era.\u201d<\/p>\n The museum has created a specially designed exhibition hall modelled on Aigai\u2019s original Bouleuterion. The Hestia statue is displayed alongside a group of honorary portrait statues linked to the family of Antiphanes and Diaphenes, benefactors who supported the reconstruction of the council building around the mid-2nd century BC. Visitors can now view the goddess in a setting that evokes the atmosphere of the ancient assembly chamber.<\/p>\n Aigai, located on the slopes of Mount Yunt, flourished particularly under the influence of the nearby Attalid kingdom of Pergamon. The city\u2019s well-preserved public buildings, including its three-storey agora and Bouleuterion, continue to yield important insights into Aeolian Greek civic and religious life in western Anatolia.<\/p>\n The unveiling of the Hestia statue marks a significant moment for the preservation and presentation of Hellenistic sculpture and underscores the enduring Greek cultural heritage of the region.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000230407-1024x768.webp)
<\/source><\/picture>