An impressive ancient statue is among the latest discoveries at the archaeological site of Amphipolis in Northern Greece, the Ministry of Culture and Sports has announced.
The fragmented statue, which came to light during the Amphipolis excavations in 2021, shows the torso of a man wearing ornate armor—probably a Roman army officer or an emperor.
The torso is almost identical to another one which was found earlier, embedded in the Byzantine tower of Marmaris at Amphipolis, featuring a similar adornment. For this reason, experts identified the figure with the Emperor Augustus.
The size of the statue is slightly larger than life.
Amphipolis statue among other finds
The ongoing archaeological excavations at Amphipolis are carried out as part of a cooperation program between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Serres and the University of Patras under the direction of Dr. Dimitra Malamidou, Head of the Ephorate, and Dimitris Damascus, professor of classical archaeology.
The goal of the five-year research program is to investigate the pre-Christian ruins at the acropolis of Amphipolis, where the center of the ancient city was located since its foundation in 437 BC.
Today, the acropolis of Amphipolis is dominated by the precinct and the five great Christian churches of the 5th and 6th centuries, discovered during previous excavations carried out under the auspices of the Athens Archaeological Society, the Ministry of Culture and Sports explains.
This year, in 2022, the excavation program has been focused on uncovering the Roman building with walls of rough stones, optical bricks, and strong lime mortar, which is located west of the narthex of the adjacent Early Byzantine Basilica III.
The building probably stopped being used in the early Byzantine years, when a pipe for the drainage of water from the narthex of the adjacent Basilica destroyed part of it.
Rich history of Amphipolis
Findings from the ancient city of Amphipolis, first excavated by Dimitrios Lazarides, can be viewed at the Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis, which was founded in 1995. They cover all periods from prehistoric times to the Byzantine years.
The area of Amphipolis attracted international attention in 2012, when a majestic burial monument of the Hellenistic era was unearthed near the ancient city. It has the same name as that of the adjacent modern village.
The mysterious monument became known as the Amphipolis Tomb. It hasn’t yet been made accessible to the public.
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