2024-07-05 09:30:53
The marble sculpture that archaeologists began to uncover yesterday in the Cloaca Maxima (in the Great Canal of the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica) turned out to be exceptionally well preserved. It was found during the archaeological excavations, by the team of Prof. Ludmil Vagalinski, reported Archaeologia Bulgarica.
All other statues have so far been discovered without the heads. “It is over two meters tall and probably depicts Hermes, one of the most popular deities in this area – comments the head of the excavation Prof. Dr. Ludmil Wagalinski. – We still have a lot of work to do and I don’t want to rush to conclusions, but from now on I can say that this ancient statue is not only the best preserved among those discovered here, but also in Bulgaria in general. I suppose that the erstwhile inhabitants of the city laid her in the dirt at this place after the great earthquake in the 4th century – to preserve for better times one of their old deities in a period when Christianity was already the official religion.”
The statue will be carefully moved to the Petrich Museum and, after the necessary restoration and conservation, will be on display for visitors there.