Unique 1800-Year-Old Statue of Hermes Found in Ancient Sewer in Bulgaria

Archaeologists excavating a Roman sewer pipe at the ancient site of Heraclea Sintica near Petrich, southwest Bulgaria, have discovered a large two-metre high marble statue of Hermes. The statue is larger than life-size, stands 6.8 feet tall and is in exceptional condition, almost complete, with only the arms missing. It is the only complete Roman statue ever found in Heraclea Sinti. The head of the excavations, Dr Ludmil Vahalinski, believes that this may be the best preserved Roman statue in all of Bulgaria.

The statue was found inside the Cloaca Maxima, the main sewer of the ancient city. The land above this section of the sewer is privately owned, so the city does not have the authority to conserve and restore this section as it would with municipal property. Archaeologists are doing their best to prevent erosion from causing irreparable damage to the ancient structures. This time, they were sweeping the walls to assess their condition when they uncovered a piece of marble. As they continued to clean up against the wall, they discovered a complete statue.

Dr Wagalinski suspects that the townspeople buried the statue after an earthquake destroyed most of the city in 388 AD. It was this protective burial that preserved the statue, the only one among many of its brothers, for 1700 years.

The sculpture is still partially covered with soil, its left side with a cloak draped over its shoulder has not been fully excavated, but it is already clear that it was the work of a master. It is carved from a single block of marble, and its style dates from the second century AD. The size, position, chlamydia, and tree trunk support at his left foot are almost identical to the Atlanta marble statue of Hermes found in central Greece, which is a 2nd century copy of a 4th century BC original believed to have been created by Lysippus, one of the three greatest sculptors of classical Greece. 

The Atlanta Hermes is missing the caduceus, which he originally held in his left hand. 

"We are crossing our fingers that when the Heraclea Sintica Hermes is completely out of the ground, the caduceus will still be there," the archaeologists say.