Ancient temple identified as rare sanctuary of Hecate
A temple discovered 113 years ago at the Men Sanctuary in the southwestern province of Isparta’s Yalvaç district has been identified as a sanctuary dedicated to the Anatolian goddess Hecate, resolving a mystery that had puzzled archaeologists for more than a century.
The structure, unearthed during excavations in 1912-1913 on Mount Gemen, was long believed to have been dedicated to the Greek goddess Demeter but was never formally identified. For decades, it was simply referred to as the “Small Temple.”
Recent excavations and research led by Professor Mehmet Özhanlı of Süleyman Demirel University have now confirmed that the temple was instead devoted to Hecate, a deity of Anatolian Carian origin associated with the moon, the underworld and the afterlife.
The finding makes the structure only the second confirmed Hecate temple in Türkiye. Until now, the only known temple dedicated to the goddess was at the ancient city of Lagina in Muğla province.
