Bust of Greek god Hermes discovered during sewage works in Athens

The bust of Hermes was found during maintenance work in Athens 

Credit: AFP

His winged foot is an enduring symbol of speed, travel and good fortune, but the god Hermes has turned up in a rather less salubrious context – a sewer in Greece.

A large bust of the deity was discovered by workers as they carried out maintenance work on a drainage system in central Athens.

It dates from around 300 BC and is believed to have originally served as a street marker, as was often the case with busts of Hermes in ancient Greece.

Hermes was regarded as the patron saint of travel, among other things, and stone pillars known as hermae were often set up along roads to act as markers, as well as to impart good fortune to those who passed by.

They were often found along boundary lines, a reflection of Hermes’ intermediary role between the realm of the gods and the world of ordinary mortals.

In ancient Athens, they were also positioned outside homes as symbols of good luck.

The head of Hermes was found about 3ft beneath the ground in Athens 

Credit: Shutterstock

The bust was in good condition and depicts Hermes at “a mature age”, according to the Greek culture ministry, in contrast to his usual depictions as a young man.

The head is in the style of famed Greek sculpture Alcamenes, who flourished in the second half of the fifth century BC, the ministry said.

While the bust once served as a road marker, it was eventually incorporated into the wall of a sewer.

The sculpture was found just 3ft beneath Agia Irini or St Irene Square in the capital.

“Unique Athens!” the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, wrote on Facebook. “Pride and admiration.”

The son of Zeus, Hermes was revered as the god of fertility, as well as being associated with the protection of livestock such as sheep and cattle.

In the Odyssey, he features as the messenger of the gods, who conducts the dead into the underworld of Hades.