IS it possible that there was a second temple close to the Apollo Temple at Didim? Possibly built in honour of Artemis, the twin of Apollo? Well, excavation works presently on may suggest the case.

German archaeologists have unearthed the foundations of a giant structure, thought to have connections with the temple. 

The works have been carried out by the German Halle Martin Luther University, the German Archaeology Institute and the Milet Museum Directorate. 

Speaking about the works, head of the excavations Professor Helga Bumke stated the Temple of Apollo extended in to three different spots.

“One of them is the excavation area in the garden of a school. The second is the area of an old church, which is currently a mosque, and the third is the area of a modern street passing through the temple,” she said. 

She said they were working in the garden of the mosque and discovered a huge structure there.

“The new structure is two meters in width and most probably has a connection with the Temple of Apollo. We can say that it is a temple because we see a very typical temple plan here.

“Actually, there is no single temple in a holy area. For example, there is more than one temple in Greek holy areas. We know it from the inscriptions. This structure is most probably an extension of the Temple of Apollo,” Bumke said. 

Stating they were excited about the new finding, Bumke said, “Because we now learn more about Didim, especially the ancient information that overlaps with today’s findings. Didim will become richer in terms of artifacts.”

Apollo ‘workshop’ planned

DIDIM Council is organizing a workshop to address planning and other related issues surrounding the Apollo Temple next month.

There will be a two day conference on September 17-18 that will seek to raise a number of concerns and how to address them.

Major players including Aydin officials, German archaeologists and historians are expected to engage during the seminar.