Measuring 31 inches tall, the statue is made of marble and depicts a woman in a flowing garment, perhaps a goddess, whose head and arms broke off long ago.
Greek PoliceThe headless Greek statue found inside a garbage bag near Thessaloniki.
Near the Greek city of Thessaloniki, a local resident discovered a small marble statue of a woman that had been left in a garbage bag near a trash bin. Unsure of what the statue was or why it had been tossed aside, the man took the statue to the police, who then contacted local archaeologists to assess the find.
Upon first examination, experts determined the statue to be roughly 2,000 years old, dating to the Hellenistic era which lasted roughly from 320 to 30 B.C.E. The statue has now been sent off for further archaeological examination, preservation, and study — but the mystery remains as to how this ancient piece of art wound up carelessly stuffed in a trash bag in the first place.
Archaeologists Examine The Ancient Greek Statue Found In A Garbage Bag
Wikimedia CommonsThe port of the Greek city of Thessaloniki, where the statue was found.
After the statue was delivered to police and subsequently examined by archaeologists, CBS News published a report about the initial findings. According to the report, the statue measures in at 31 inches tall by 10 inches wide. It is made of marble and seems to depict a woman wearing a flowing garment, though it’s missing its head and arms.
Archaeologists believe it was made during the Hellenistic period. This era spanned from roughly 323 to 30 B.C.E. It’s considered by many experts to be a time of especially significant cultural and artistic evolution in the ancient Greek world.
Following the expansive conquests of Alexander the Great, ending with his death in 323 B.C.E., Greek culture mingled with influences from Egypt, Persia, and India, and these new cultural connections began to manifest in the art and culture of the time. This era also saw the establishment of various institutions like museums and great libraries, notably in Alexandria and Pergamon.
Artistically, there was a marked shift from the idealized forms of the Classical period to more realistic and expressive representations. Sculptors began to portray a wider range of subjects, including women, children, and the elderly, capturing intricate details and emotions as opposed to more neutral or typically “beautiful” idealizations. Additionally, the period saw the rise of the female nude as a popular subject, as well as representations of everyday life and lower-class subjects, moving beyond the traditional focus on Greek gods and heroes.
So far, no other information about the abandoned statue has been made public, though archaeologists did announce future plans to study it further through lab tests and conservation.
Surprising Discoveries Of Greek Antiquities Inexplicably Tossed Away
In a press statement, local police said that an archaeologist who examined the statue said it “falls under the relevant legislation.” As a result, the statue was seized by officers from the Cultural Heritage Protection Office of the Department for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Persons and Goods, who are working to examine the statue for any clues before sending it to an archaeological lab.
Greek Ministry of CultureThe presumed Hermes Ludovisi statue that was discovered near the Acropolis in Athens.
Greek authorities have grown somewhat accustomed to finding ancient statues in odd locations, though few, if any, were found so casually tossed in the trash. In December 2024, for instance, Greek workers preparing to lay gas pipes unearthed a statue of the Greek messenger god Hermes, just south of the Acropolis in Athens. Earlier that year, in March, an 1,800-year-old statue head of the god Apollo was unearthed by archaeology students in the city of Philippi.
Most often, these finds are not the results of crimes but rather the unavoidable result of the passage of time. However, this newly-discovered statue’s discovery in a garbage bag certainly adds a unique twist to the case.
After reading about this Greek statue found in a garbage bag, learn all about the Greek gods of Olympus. Or, read about the story behind the Venus De Milo, the famous armless sculpture.
