Discovery at the "Lion Rock" highlights role of Mother Goddess worship

An ancient inscription on the Arslan Kaya monument in Turkey has been deciphered, revealing significant details about the worship of the mother goddess Materan in Phrygian culture. The finding was reported in the journal Kadmos.

Mark Munn, a professor of Ancient Greek History and Archaeology at Pennsylvania State University, managed to read the deteriorated text carved on the 2,600-year-old monument. This discovery potentially ends a century-long debate about the inscription's meaning.

The Arslan Kaya monument, also known as Aslan Kaya or "Lion Rock," is a free-standing spire of volcanic rock approximately 52 feet tall, featuring carvings of the Phrygian mother goddess Materan standing in a doorway, flanked by two lions, with figures of sphinxes above the gable. The monument is located in the Phrygian Highlands between Seyit Gazi and Afyonkarahisar in central western Turkey.

The Phrygians were an ancient Indo-European civilization that inhabited central Anatolia from approximately 1200 BC to 600 BC. During this time, they revered the mother goddess Materan. Materan, known as the "Mother of the Gods," remains a central figure in understanding the rich cultural heritage of the Phrygians.

The inscription beneath the goddess, written in the Phrygian language, has been a subject of scholarly debate since the monument was rediscovered in the 19th century, as noted by Archaeology Magazine. The text has been difficult to read due to deterioration from weathering, erosion, and looting. Treasure seekers severely damaged the monument in 2000, blowing off an engraving of the Mother from the niche.

Mark Munn visited the Arslan Kaya monument for the first time this year. "I did not expect to discover anything new, only to see this monument, which is very worn and had been badly damaged by treasure seekers, before it was further damaged or destroyed," he said. 

By taking detailed photographs under favorable lighting conditions, he was able to observe previously invisible details of the inscription, contributing to the deciphering of its meaning.

"With my photographs, and comparing them to the best photographs taken by earlier visitors from the 1890s and 1950s, I could confirm that the name of the Mother—'Materan'—can definitely be read in the center of the inscription. A few other letters can be read, but not enough to make whole words," Munn is quoted by Newsweek. 

The discovery confirms that the monument is dedicated to the great mother goddess Materan. The word "Materan" is located at the center of the inscription, affirming her significance in Phrygian culture. The presence of both her name and image on the monument is unique among the Phrygian Highlands monuments.

Munn dates the Arslan Kaya monument to the mid-seventh century BCE, suggesting that its dating indicates the Lydians also held the Phrygian goddess Materan in high esteem, as noted by Archaeology Magazine. The Lydian kingdom came to rule regions previously under Phrygian control. This suggests that the monument may have been created in a context of cultural interaction, where various religious traditions intertwined.

However, not all scholars agree that Munn's findings present new information. According to Euronews Turkish, Rostyslav Oreshko, a researcher at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in France who was not involved in the research, stated, that "Munn's article in Kadmos does not propose anything radically new about the inscription; it simply clarifies the reading." He added that the reading of "Materan" was already suggested in the 19th century.

Materan's cult transcended cultures, with her being recognized as a central deity and protector in various ancient civilizations. The Greeks knew her as the "Mother of the Gods," while the Romans called her "Magna Mater" or "Great Mother."

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq