Aphrodisias, the cover story in *Cornucopia 11, was a notable addition to this year’s list of Unesco World Heritage Sites. It is the 17th in Turkey to achieve this status, which includes a diversity of places from Çatalhöyük and Troy to parts of Bursa and Istanbul. The city of Aphrodite had the most famous school of sculpture in all antiquity, and in the Cornucopia article John Julius Norwich described it as “the most hauntingly beautiful site in Anatolia”. Photographs in the article were by Ara Güler who rediscovered Aphrodisias in the 1958 (pictures reproduced in Cornucopia 11, below).
In the UK, archaeological work at the site is supported by the London-based Friends of Aphrodisias Trust. Bert Smith, Lincoln Professor of Classical Archaeology and Art at Oxford and, since 1991, director of New York University’s Excavations at Aphrodisias, says, “Inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is great news for Aphrodisias. It recognises high-level work over more than fifty years, as well as the intrinsic importance of the site and its monuments."
*(Cornucopia 11 is still available under a special offer)
