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Authorities in Greece are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of an ancient statue that was found discarded in a black plastic bag near trash bins in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
The organized crime unit reported that the investigation commenced after a 32-year-old individual presented the statue to the police, claiming to have stumbled upon it while it was carelessly left near the refuse.
Initial examinations conducted by the archaeology service indicated that the headless statue dates back to the Hellenistic period, which spanned from 323 to 31 BC. The police have made public a photograph of the statue, which measures approximately 32 by 10 inches.
According to the statement, the statue will undergo further analysis by the crime investigation bureau in northern Greece, followed by an evaluation and conservation process by the antiquities service.
Greece has long grappled with the illicit trafficking of antiquities, owing to its wealth of archaeological sites that harbor artifacts from ancient history. Routine construction and roadwork across the nation frequently unearth new archaeological treasures.
Such involuntary archaeological discoveries are not uncommon in Greece, a nation steeped in antiquity. These finds often occur during construction projects or public infrastructure improvements. For instance, in December, workers laying natural gas pipelines near Athens uncovered a Roman-era statue of Hermes, which had been buried in an upright position within a brick-lined pit close to the Acropolis. Recently, Thessaloniki also revealed a significant collection of antiquities unearthed over the course of the extensive metro construction, which opened officially in November.
Among the notable artifacts displayed at metro stations are remnants of a marble-paved Roman road and tens of thousands of objects across Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman eras.
Instances of ancient sculptures being discarded have also been recorded in other parts of Europe. For example, in 2023, a Roman-era statuette of Venus was found in a landfill in Rennes, France. The same year saw the discovery of ancient bronze figures in a dump in Tuscany, Italy.
Additionally, in 2013, an 1,800-year-old carved stone head, potentially representing a Roman deity, was located in an ancient refuse site in England.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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www.cbsnews.com