Ancient Marble Statue in the Style of Hermes Discovered Under Acropolis During Gas Pipeline Work

An ancient marble statue of a young man without a head in the style of the god Hermes Ludovicius was discovered in Greece during preparatory work for laying a gas pipeline at the foot of the Acropolis. It was buried almost vertically in a brick-lined pit. This was reported by Greek officials, Ekathimerini writes.

According to the Greek Ministry of Culture, the statue was discovered in a one-metre-wide trench south of the Odeon of Herod the Attic, at the intersection of Erechtiou and Kalliperi streets.

During the Roman Empire (1st-5th centuries AD), city villas were built on the territory where the artefact was found. This southern side of the Acropolis was historically an area of exceptionally luxurious private residences and villas, so officials suggested that the statue could have been part of one of these buildings.

After completing the documentation of the discovery, the Athens Antiquities Ephorate staff transferred the statue to their conservation workshop.