The relief is the first evidence of the mythological king of the gods and god of thunder and lightning to be discovered in the city believed to be his hometown.
Professor Engelbert Winter, excavation head of Germany's Münster University, said there were many other findings depicting Jupiter in southern Europe, but that this is first time something was discovered in Dülek. 'We had an idea of what he looked like from excavations held in southern Europe, but we couldn't find anything other than inscription in the ancient city so far. The (discovery of this) relief will shed light on our future works (in the city),' he said.
The relief is 130 x 70 centimeters in size and depicts Jupiter and his wife Iuno Regina in a ceremony at an altar with two priests. Jupiter holds a bunch of lightning in his right hand and a pair of axes in his left hand. This symbolically represents the power of the god of thunder.
Located 10 kilometers south of Gaziantep, the ancient city of Dülük lies on the historical Silk Road and ancient trade routes.
Stone tools were discovered at the Şarklı Cave on the borders of Dülük, indicating that the area was settled in around 6000 B.C. The city is believed to be the ancient city of Doliche, which was a religious center of Teşup, the master deity of Hittite civilization.
