Colossal 2,500-Year-Old Statue Unearthed at Turkey's UNESCO Site
2,500-year-old sculpture discovered at UNESCO site in Turkey
A rare, colossal statue dating back 2,500 years has been discovered in the ancient city of Sardis, Turkey, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The seven-foot-tall figure, depicting a young man holding fruit, was found in two pieces and is exceptionally well preserved because it was reused as a Roman-era paving stone. The sculpture blends archaic and classical styles, offering new insights into Lydian art and clothing traditions. The discovery was made by the Sardis Expedition, led by Nicholas Cahill, who expressed astonishment at the find.
It's a wonderful piece, and we're still kind of astounded and a bit perplexed by it.
- andsoitis
> site in Turkey
Didn’t the country rename / rebrand to Türkiye?
- asimpletune
This must have been during or near the reign of Croesus, a very interesting king who was the last to rule Lydia, as recorded by Herodotus.
- abeppu
> It has been exceptionally well preserved because it was reused as a Roman-era paving stone on a colonnaded street
The sculpture is very 3-dimensional. I don't get how it made a good paving stone, or how being used as a paving stone didn't end up conflicting with the "well preserved" part more.
- dyauspitr
I guess it’s unrelated to this particular find but is Turkey now the place where civilization first started or Gobekli Tepe and the other similar sites are not considered civilizations at this point?