A white marble statue depicting a nude male in the Hellenistic style of Hermes Ludovisi type was found in Athens at a short distance of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus during works for a natural gas network on Monday.
According to a statement by the Culture Ministry, the headless statue was found in good condition in a trench just one meter wide between the Erechthiou and Kallisperi streets, during the supervision of a natural gas network installation project. The statue was located inside a structure built of rectangular bricks and it was in fairly good condition.
In this area south of the Acropolis lay some of the wealthiest urban villas of Athens that were built during the imperial years (1st-5th centuries AD), the ministry said. These buildings were proof of the wealth of Athens and its attraction to rich and cultured citizens, whose homes were decorated with mosaic floors and statues produced by the famed Neo-Attic workshops.
After completing the documentation of the artifact, the Archaeological Ephorate of the City of Athens staff transferred the statue to the conservation laboratories, the ministry said.
