A team from the Bithynian Archaeology Project has uncovered the ruins of a 2,400-year-old sanctuary dedicated to Urania, the Muse of Astronomy. Located on a coastal ridge in modern-day Turkey, the temple features a unique ceiling designed with conical apertures that align with specific star clusters during the summer solstice.
Artifacts found at the site include fragments of a marble astrolabe and bronze votive stars, suggesting the temple served as both a religious site and an early observatory. Scholars believe this find confirms the integration of scientific observation into Hellenistic religious practice in the 4th century BCE.