Marble statue of an ancient god found in an ancient sewer

Pagans wanted to hide Hermes from Christians

Archaeologists found a marble statue of the god in an ancient Roman sewer. This week, Bulgarian archaeologists, while excavating an ancient Roman sewer, stumbled upon an unexpected treasure — a well-preserved marble statue depicting the Greek god Hermes.

Photo: Still from video

The 6.8-foot-tall (2-meter) statue was discovered during excavations at the site of the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica in southwestern Bulgaria, which is near the border with Greece, Reuters reports.

Archaeologists who led the work said that after an earthquake destroyed the vast city around 388 AD, the statue was carefully placed in a sewer and covered with earth, which explains its good condition.

“Her head was preserved. It is in very good condition. There are several fractures on the arms,” says Lyudmil Vagalinski, who led the archaeological team, adding that the statue was a Roman copy of an ancient Greek original.

Heraclea Sintica was a vast city founded by the ancient Macedonian king Philip II of Macedon between 356 and 339 years BC in what is now the Bulgarian region of Pirin Macedonia, notes Reuters.

Archaeologists say the inhabitants of Heraclea Sinthia likely tried to preserve the statue even after Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire .

“Everything pagan was forbidden, and they joined the new ideology, but obviously they cared about their old deities,” said Lyudmil Vagalinsky.

After the earthquake, Heraclea Sintica quickly fell into disrepair and was abandoned around 500 AD.