An exceptionally preserved statue of Hermes has been found in Heraclea Sintica--present-day Rupite in southwestern Bulgaria, close to the Greek border.
The marble statue measures 6.8 feet tall, with a preserved head and a few fractures on its hands. It was found carefully placed in the Cloaca Maxima, and intentionally covered in soil--hence its excellent preservation.
The statue was a Roman copy of a Greek original, and was carved out of a single block of marble likely dating from the 2nd century AD.
Archeologists are currently in the process of extracting the statue, which will go on display at the History Museum in Petrich. "We still have a lot of work to do and I do not want to rush to conclusions, but from now on I can say that this ancient statue is not only the best preserved among the discovered here, but also on the territory of Bulgaria in general," said Assoc. Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski of the National Institute with Museum of Archaeology in Sofia.
Heraclea Sintica was founded between 356 and 339 BC by King Philip II of Macedon--father of Alexander the Great. It was largely destroyed by a massive earthquake in 425 AD.
By that time, the Macedonian Empire had long been subjugated by Rome, and the Roman Empire had made Christianity its official religion. Archaeologists surmise that the statue may have been buried to keep it safe during the earthquake, or to preserve the Pagan deity as a symbolic rejection of Christianity.
Either way, although small groups returned to Heraclea Sintica to live in the ruins after 457 AD, all habitation had disappeared by 500 AD.
The polis was identified in 2002 after the discovery of a large Latin inscription, and has been undergoing excavation since 2007, under the leadership of Vagalinski.
