Earlier this month, a 32-year-old man from Thessaloniki, Greece made an unexpected and entirely surprising discovery. Next to a trash bin on the street, wrapped up inside a black plastic bag, he found a statue of a woman draped in flowing robes, with its arms and head missing. He immediately informed local authorities, suspecting that the statue might be valuable, and his instincts turned out to be right.
Experts were brought in to examine the discarded artifact, and they eventually confirmed that it was ancient. How ancient? According to a statement issued by the Greek National police, the statue actually dates back to Greece’s Hellenistic era, which covered the era from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to around 31 BC. Presumably the person who discarded the statue had no idea of its age, although there is really no way to know for sure why this individual decided to get rid of such a rare and unique item.
While it is unusual to stumble upon such a historically valuable object so casually tossed aside, this is not the first time civilians have handed over significant artifacts to authorities. Vasilis Tempelis, a spokesperson for Greece’s Ministry of Culture, said that people have previously turned in rare objects with compelling stories of how they came to possess such items, which would normally be found only in museums or for sale on the black market.
Investigations are underway to learn more about the statue’s origins. The local police have transferred the artifact to investigators at Greece’s Cultural Heritage Protection Office, and it will soon undergo forensic analysis before being passed on to the local antiquities authority for safekeeping. Police have questioned one individual about the statue’s origins, but no charges have been filed.
A Relic from a Religious and Culturally Transformative Era
The statue was found in Neoi Epivates, a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city. Standing just over 31 inches (80 cm) tall, it would not have been on display in some type of ancient public building. According to Bert Smith, a classical archaeologist at Oxford University, the marble statue was likely created for religious purposes.
“The small size is typical for such marble votive offerings dedicated to deities in sanctuaries or temples,” Smith explained in an interview with the New York Times. In ancient Greece, “people would offer such dedications in gratitude for divine favor.”
The Hellenistic period, which lasted for nearly three centuries, was a time of vast cultural exchange and expansion. After Alexander the Great’s death, his huge empire split into three major kingdoms, ensuring the spread of Greek influence throughout the Middle East and into South Asia. This period saw the flourishing of Greek philosophy and art, and these developments were reflected in religious art, which became more detailed and expressive as time went on.
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A map of the Hellenistic world, just over 40 years after Alexander the Great’s death. (Cattette/CC BY 4.0)
In contrast to the idealized, detached style of Greek Classical sculpture from the fifth and fourth centuries BC, Hellenistic sculptures displayed greater realism, capturing emotional depth and personal expression. This period also saw a heightened focus on details like the careful draping of fabric and the accurate depiction of the human form, as can be seen on many statues recovered from that period.
The recently discovered statue fits this style, making it possible to date its creation. Estelle Strazdins, a classicist from the Australian National University, told the Washington Post that the statue’s loose, flowing clothing and marble material means it likely represents a goddess. Statues of mortal women from this era were typically made of terra-cotta and portrayed in tighter, more modest clothing, further supporting the idea that this figure was meant to represent a deity.
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The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also known as the Nike of Samothrace, is a renowned Greek statue from the Hellenistic era, depicting the goddess Nike (Victory), with its head and arms missing. (Lyokoï88/CC BY-SA 4.0)
Strandings also believes the statue was likely a votive offering in a temple. Its small size, however, indicates it was not the central figure in the sanctuary.
“It might be a gift someone offered to the god as thanks for a favor or in hopes of receiving a blessing,” she explained.
The figure on the statue is wearing what appears to be a peplos, a traditional wool garment worn by women in ancient Greece. However, the missing limbs and head do make it more difficult to identify the figure as a particular Greek deity. Bert Smith noted that the arms might have provided clues to the statue’s purpose or the attributes it was meant to represent. Missing limbs or heads are common with ancient statues since these parts are vulnerable to breakage when put under any kind of stress or pressure.
The Panathenaea peplos, from the Parthenon frieze. (British Museum/CC BY-SA 4.0)
A Wild and Crazy Addition to a Rich Archaeological Collection
Although the circumstances of the statue’s discovery are unusual, Thessaloniki is no stranger to significant archaeological finds. The city has yielded countless important artifacts over the years, especially in the wake of the recent construction of a new subway system, which led to the excavation of over 300,000 fascinating historical objects from various eras.
As with many other discoveries in the area, this over-2,000-year-old statue will likely end up in a museum, no doubt accompanied by a plaque that will amuse visitors with the wild and crazy story of how it was recovered.
Top image: AI image of Greek statues from the Hellenistic era with sunny skies as the backdrop.
Source: Olha Yavorska/Adobe Stock
By Nathan Falde
Source: www.ancient-origins.net