Archaeologists excavating in southeastern Bulgaria near the border with Greece this week discovered a roughly 7-foot-tall statue of the ancient Greek god Hermes.
The unexpected discovery occurred during excavations of the Roman sewers of the ruined city of Heraclea Syntica, founded by King Philip II of Macedonia between 356 and 339 BC.
This vast city was destroyed by an earthquake in 388 AD.
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Archaeologists excavating in southeastern Bulgaria near the border with Greece this week discovered a roughly 7-foot-tall statue of the ancient Greek god Hermes. (Reuters/Spasiana Sergeeva)
“The head has been preserved and is in very good condition,” said lead archaeologist Lyudmir Bagarinski, explaining that the marble statue had been placed in a sewer and covered with soil, likely because Christianity had been adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire and pagan symbols were banned.
The statue was discovered during excavations at the ancient city of Heraclea Sinitika, near the modern-day village of Rupite in Bulgaria. (Reuters/Spasiana Sergeeva)
He added that the statue is a Roman copy of an ancient Greek original.
“Everything pagan was banned and they joined the new ideas,” Vagarinsky said.
“But apparently they valued the old gods,” he added.
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Archaeologists said the statue was in good condition. (Reuters/Spasiana Sergeeva)
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Heraclea Syntika, now the village of Rupite in Bulgaria, fell into rapid decline after an earthquake and was abandoned around 500 AD.
