Archaeologists in the ancient city of Aizanoi in western Turkey have discovered the remains of cosmetics, including jewelry and makeup used by Roman women more than 2,000 years ago.

Aizanoi is famous for its well-preserved temple of Zeus, which was included in the preliminary UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.

Gökhan Coşkun, an archaeologist at the University of Dumlupınar and head of the excavations, said most of the work was done on the agora east of the temple of Zeus.

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Coşkun added that his team had reached the ancient shops. "Our work is not limited to the interior of stores, but is expanding around them," Coescun said.

During the excavations, the team discovered various inscriptions that tell about the creation and operation of ancient stores, shedding light on the commercial and social structure of the city.

"We found that the place we found was a store that sold cosmetics, including perfumes, jewelry and makeup. During the excavations, we came across a huge number of perfume bottles. Among them, we also found jewelry, as well as beads, which were probably part of hairpins and necklaces," Coescun said. He confirmed that the remains were indeed part of makeup that Roman women used.

"One of the most surprising findings was that the remains of blush-like makeup pigments and eye shadow closely resemble the cosmetic products used today. Of course, most of the finds are not particularly preserved, but we were able to find whole pieces."

"Blush and eyeshadow in the Roman Empire were often placed in oyster shells," Joshkun noted, adding: "We also found a large number of oyster shells in the store we are exploring."

The predominant colors of the pigments are red and pink, with a total of 10 different shades found.

Located 57 kilometers (<> miles) from the center of Kyutahia, the ancient city flourished in the second and third centuries AD, becoming the "center of the bishopric of the Byzantine era," according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

Recent excavations around the Temple of Zeus testify to the existence of several settlements dating back to 3,000 BC. Hr. In 133 B.C. Hr. The city was conquered by the Romans.

In 1824, European travelers rediscovered the ancient city. Between 1970 and 2011, specialists from the German Archaeological Institute opened a theater and a stadium, as well as two public baths, a gymnasium, five bridges, a commercial building, necropolises and a sacred cave.

Since 2011, Turkish archaeologists have been studying the ancient city. This year, the excavations were transferred to the Kutahia Museum's Directorate.