2024-09-24 14:44:59
The mysteries of the ancient city of Heraclea Syntica are slowly beginning to unravel.
“On Monday, the head of the second statue was found in Heraclea Syntica. It was at the opposite end of the Grand Canal and away from the statue, but it was placed so that it was facing it. This is hardly a coincidence,” said Prof. Ludmil Wagalinski, head of the archaeological team in the region.
On Monday afternoon, the head was taken to the museum in Petrich by Prof. Vagalinski, who handed it over to the mayor of the city, Dimitar Bruchkov. The second statue, which probably weighs over 600 kg, will be removed and transported there in the coming days.
After a large marble statue with a head was discovered two months ago, a few days ago the team of archaeologists found a second one, but without the head and right wrist. The statues, over 2 meters tall, were found in the Grand Canal. Both are precisely crafted from whole blocks of marble. Archaeologists are still working to fully determine whether the head found is of the second statue.
“It is unlikely that it is not on the second statue,” comments Prof. Wagalinski.
If it turns out to be the missing head from the second statue, one wonders why it was buried at the other end of the canal instead of being placed next to the torso. About the first statue, which is already in the museum in Petrich, it is not yet clear who it is, but it looks like a deified ruler.
Iconographically, the two statues are similar and probably date from the beginning of the new era. The newly discovered statue was found while clearing an embankment that accumulated moisture and eroded the walls of the Grand Canal.
The embankment consists of the rubble piled by the surviving Herakleians on the statues after the powerful earthquakes of the end of the 4th century AD, and of the clay brought in later by a tidal river wave.
On Monday, the unveiling of a building with a floor mosaic began.
“For the first time since we have been exploring the ancient city, we come across a mosaic floor. It is not a residence, but a public Roman building, located in the northeast corner of the forum. It is possible that it turned out to be a temple.
Nearby last year we discovered a votive plaque of the Thracian Horseman. It is still too early to say what the purpose of the building is,” asserts Prof. Vagalinski.
The restoration of the first statue has not yet begun. This is expected to happen in early October. The guesses of who it is are reduced to 1-2, but Prof. Vagalinski still refrains from announcing it.
Now it is certain that there is a connection between the two statues, especially since they were found a meter apart.