Archaeologists working at the ancient city of Sagalassos in the Ağlasun district of Burdur province in southern Türkiye have uncovered a depiction of the Egyptian god Tutu engraved on marble slabs in a Roman-era bath complex.
The figure, carved using an incision technique on Afyon marble, was found during ongoing excavations in Sagalassos, a settlement founded on the slopes of Mount Akdağ with traces of habitation dating back 12,000 years. The site, listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, has been under excavation since 1989 and has yielded numerous artifacts that shed light on ancient history.
One of the most striking finds emerged in the bath complex built during the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus - a sphinx-like depiction of the Egyptian deity Tutu.
Archaeologists recently reexamined relief-decorated marble slabs first unearthed in 2004 in the northern frigidarium (cold room) of the Bath-Gymnasium complex. They determined that the figures belonged to a decorative program influenced by Egyptian artistic traditions.
The scene centers on the sphinx-god Tutu, accompanied by Horus, representing royal authority, and Sobek, symbolizing the power of the Nile. The composition reflects themes of divine kingship and protective forces.
Peter Talloen, head of the Sagalassos excavation and chair of the Archaeology Department at Bilkent University, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Sagalassos maintained trade connections with Egypt during the Roman period through major commercial routes.
“We’ve identified Egyptian influences in the city’s decorative motifs,” Talloen said. “The scene we reexamined last year, engraved on Afyon marble, offers a unique insight into the decorative programs of sanctuaries dedicated to Egyptian deities outside the Nile region.”
Talloen said the people of Sagalassos exported ceramics, wine and agricultural products to Egypt and, in return, brought fish species and cultural influences to Anatolia. The marble slab featuring the Tutu figure, he added, stands out as one of the rare examples of Egyptian influence in Anatolia.
“No other example of this iconography is known outside Egypt,” Talloen said. “The people of Sagalassos didn’t worship Egyptian gods - they simply used these motifs for decorative purposes.”
He noted that analysis confirmed the marble originated from the Afyonkarahisar region, not Egypt, further emphasizing the local craftsmanship behind the piece.
