Uşak Museum of Archaeology Situated in the city center, the Uşak Archaeology Museum houses a vast array of artifacts representing multiple historical eras. Its most renowned display is the Karun Treasure, a remarkable collection dating back to the Lydian civilization. Visitors have the opportunity to view a wide variety of items, including sculptures from the Bronze Age, distinctive beaked vessels, and stone axes. The museum also features ceramic plates, ancient glass artifacts, and inscribed stelae from the Hellenistic and Roman eras. Moreover, several exhibits provide insights into ancient funerary traditions and spiritual practices. The main exhibition hall presents a chronological arrangement of pottery, stone implements, and various other artifacts. The museum spans two floors, with the first floor showcasing Roman-era sculptures that portray notable figures such as officials, statesmen, and athletes from the Uşak region. On this same floor, visitors can also discover stone relics originating from the ancient cities of Akmonia (present-day Çubuk), Blaundos, and Sebaste, all located within Uşak’s historic boundaries. Whether you are passionate about history or simply curious about the area’s rich cultural legacy, the Uşak Archaeology Museum is an essential stop. The museum boasts an extensive numismatic collection, underscoring Uşak’s important historical link to the ancient Lydian kingdom, famous as the birthplace of coinage. The intermediate floor offers interactive exhibits that illustrate the processes of coin production and usage across various time periods. The second floor is fully devoted to the Karun Treasure, an impressive collection of 363 artifacts from the Lydian-Persian era, dating back to the 7th century BCE. These priceless items were unlawfully excavated in 1966 by local villagers from the burial site of a Lydian noblewoman near the village of Güre, situated approximately 25 km west of Uşak along the İzmir Highway. After being illicitly smuggled out of Turkey, the treasure was sold to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and remained overseas until 1984. The matter gained public attention thanks to the efforts of Turkish journalist Özgen Acar, which led the Turkish government to file a legal case against the museum. Following a prolonged court battle, Turkey succeeded in reclaiming the Karun Treasure in 1993, returning these invaluable cultural artifacts to their rightful place in Uşak. If you have any questions or need more information about the Uşak Museum of Archaeology, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or simply send us a message via WhatsApp, and we will reply as soon as possible.