Gli archeologi scoprono una profumeria di 2.000 anni fa

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Cosmetici, trucchi, profumi e bigiotteria. Gli archeologi scoprono un negozio per signore romane di 2000 anni fa. I prodotti conservati

Nell’antica città di Aizanoi, situata nel distretto di Çavdarhisar a Kütahya, Turchia, gli archeologi stanno facendo una scoperta straordinaria. Un team di ricercatori guidato dal Prof. Dr. Gökhan Coşkun ha portato alla luce un antico bazar romano che risale a circa 2.000 anni fa, dove venivano venduti profumi, materiali per trucco, gioielli e cosmetici. Questa scoperta offre un affascinante sguardo nella vita quotidiana delle donne romane dell’epoca.

 

Aizanoi è famosa per essere l’antica città che ospita il meglio conservato Tempio di Zeus in Anatolia, incluso nella lista temporanea del patrimonio dell’umanità dell’UNESCO nel 2012. Gli scavi in corso sono supportati dal Governatorato di Kütahya e sponsorizzati dal settore del turismo e delle miniere di Gürok, oltre che dall’Università Kütahia Dumlupınar.

Il Prof. Dr. Gökhan Coşkun, capo del Dipartimento di Archeologia di Scavi presso l’Università Kütahia Dumlupınar, ha dichiarato che i lavori di scavo si sono concentrati principalmente nell’agorà (la piazza principale) ad est del Tempio di Zeus. Durante questi scavi, il team di ricerca ha scoperto non solo negozi, ma anche vari oggetti che forniscono importanti indizi sulla data di fondazione e l’attività di questi negozi nel corso dei secoli.

Uno dei punti salienti delle scoperte è la presenza di bottiglie di profumo, gioielli e materiali per il trucco, tra cui perline utilizzate per ornamenti come forcine e collane, particolarmente amate dalle donne dell’epoca. Questi reperti rivelano l’importanza attribuita alla bellezza e all’abbellimento personale dalle donne romane.

La scoperta più sorprendente è stata la presenza di tinture per il trucco simili a quelle usate ancora oggi, come il blush, il fard, l’ombretto. Questi materiali venivano spesso conservati in gusci di ostrica, e il fatto che siano stati trovati molti gusci di ostrica nei negozi scavati suggerisce che questa pratica fosse comune nell’Antico Impero Romano.

In sintesi, le recenti scoperte archeologiche a Aizanoi offrono uno sguardo affascinante nella vita quotidiana delle donne romane di 2.000 anni fa, rivelando la presenza di un vivace mercato di cosmetici e gioielli in questa antica città. Questi reperti ci ricordano che l’interesse per la bellezza e l’abbellimento personale sono aspetti della vita umana che hanno resistito al passare dei secoli.

https://www.stilearte.it/cosmetici-trucchi-e-profumi-gli-archeologi-scoprono-un-negozio-per-signore-romane-di-2000-anni-fa-i-prodotti-conservati/

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Archaeologists find 2,000-year-old eyeshadow and blush in ancient Roman city of Aizanoi

Archaeologists discovered rare makeup products of 10 different colors and different sorts of hair accessories and jewelry during excavations at the ancient Roman city of Aizanoi in Türkiye’s Kütahya province, reports said Saturday.

The Aizanoi ancient city is located in the inner Western Anatolia Region, 48 km Southwest of the Kütahya Province, and within the boundaries of the Çavdarhisar district.

The city was re-discovered by the European travellers in 1824 and surveyed and identified between the years of 1830 and 1840. The scientific excavations within Aizanoi were launched in 1926 by D. Krencker and M. Schede on behalf of the German Archeological Institute and presently the excavation works are being carried out by the Dumlupınar University (DU).

Aizanoi is one of the most significant cities of the Roman Period with the Zeus Temple, the Complex of Stadium-Theatre, and the Macellum.

Photo: AA

The excavations, which have been carried out in collaboration with the Kütahya Governorate and Dumlupınar University, were conducted east of the Temple of Zeus, Professor Gökhan Coşkun, the head of the Archaeology Department at DU, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Coşkun said they discovered the remnants of a cosmetics and jewelry shop while excavating 2,000-year-old shops in the ancient city’s marketplace. “We found out that the shop sold perfume, jewelry, and makeup products,” he said, adding that they found many perfume bottles, pieces of jewelry, and makeup.

Photo: AA

The professor noted that they discovered blusher and eye shadows in the excavations.

“We know that ancient Romans stored their eyeshadows and blushes in oyster shells and we found numerous oyster shells in the shops we were carrying out excavations in,” Coşkun said. The professor said that archaeologists discovered makeup products of 10 different colors and different sorts of hair accessories and jewelry.

Regular excavations have been carried out at the site since 1970.

Cover Photo: 2,000-year-old oyster shells used to store makeup products found during excavations in Kütahya.

https://arkeonews.net/archaeologists-find-2000-year-old-eyeshadow-and-blush-in-ancient-roman-city-of-aizanoi/

Makeup materials from Roman era unearthed in ancient city of Aizanoi in Türkiye

‘Place we completely uncovered was a shop that sold cosmetic products such as perfumes, jewelry, and makeup materials,’ says archaeologist Gokhan Coskun

 

 

 

KUTAHYA, Türkiye

Archaeologists in the ancient city of Aizanoi in western Türkiye uncovered remnants of cosmetic products, including jewelry items and makeup materials, used by Roman women more than 2,000 years ago.

Aizanoi is renowned for its well-preserved Temple of Zeus in Anatolia, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2012.

Gokhan Coskun, an archaeologist at Dumlupinar University and ] head of the excavation, said the majority of the work took place in the agora (marketplace) to the east of the Temple of Zeus.

Coskun said his team reached the 2,000-year-old shops in the marketplace. "Our work is not limited to just inside the shops. It continues around them as well,” he said.

During excavations, the team discovered various inscriptions providing insights into the establishment and operation of the ancient shops, shedding light on the city's commercial and social structure.

Coskun expressed his excitement about the findings.

"We determined that the place we completely uncovered was a shop that sold cosmetic products such as perfumes, jewelry and makeup materials. During the excavation here, we encountered a large number of perfume bottles. In addition to these, there are jewelry items. Among these, there are various beads belonging to products such as hairpins and necklaces used by women,” he said.

Coskun confirmed that the remnants were indeed makeup materials used by Roman women.

Detailing the types of materials uncovered, Coskun said: “One of the most surprising findings was that we came across were makeup pigments similar to blush and eyeshadow used today. Of course, they are not in a very well-preserved state. Sometimes they are found in 1 or 2-millimeter (0.04-inch) pieces. We also found well-preserved pieces during the excavation.”

Noting that in the Roman Empire, makeup materials such as blush and eyeshadow were often placed inside oyster shells and used, he said. “We also encountered a large number of oyster shells in the shop we excavated."

Coskun emphasized that the predominant colors discovered were red and pink, with makeup pigments found in 10 different hues.

Located 57 kilometers (35 miles) from the Kutahya city center, the ancient site saw its golden age in the second and third centuries AD and became “the center of the episcopacy in the Byzantine era," according to the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry website.

Recent excavations around the Temple of Zeus indicate the existence of several levels of settlement in the city dating as far back as 3000 BC. In 133 BC, it was captured by the Roman Empire.

In 1824, European travelers rediscovered the ancient site.

Between 1970 and 2011, the German Archeology Institute unearthed a theater and a stadium, as well as two public baths, a gymnasium, five bridges, a trading building, necropolises and the sacred cave of Metre Steune -- a cultist site thought to be used before the first century BC.

Since 2011, Turkish archeologists have been carrying out work at the ancient site. This year, excavations were transferred to the Kutahya Museum Directorate.

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/makeup-materials-from-roman-era-unearthed-in-ancient-city-of-aizanoi-in-turkiye/2999909#

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