“2,000-YEAR-OLD BEAUTY” AMONG THE TRASH! A statue of a woman from the Hellenistic period is discovered in Thessaloniki

A 2,000-year-old marble statue of a woman was found abandoned in a trash bag near Thessaloniki, Greece. Local authorities reported the discovery.

A resident found the headless statue, 80 cm tall, near a dumpster in Neoi Epivates, a suburb of Greece’s second-largest city. The man handed it over to local authorities, who contacted archaeologists to assess its significance.

Following an initial evaluation, experts identified the piece as dating to the Hellenistic period, approximately between 320 and 30 BCE—a time marked by flourishing art and culture after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

The statue was sent for further examination by archaeologists and will eventually be handed over to the local antiquities authority for preservation and study.

Police launched an investigation to determine who discarded the statue, briefly detaining a man for questioning before releasing him without charges.

Accidental archaeological discoveries are relatively common in Greece, renowned for its ancient heritage. Such finds often occur during building construction or public works.

In December, workers installing natural gas pipelines near Athens discovered a Roman-era statue of Hermes buried in a brick-lined pit near the Acropolis.

Thessaloniki recently unveiled a treasure trove of antiquities uncovered during decades of metro system construction, officially opened in November. Key finds are now displayed at metro stations, including a Roman marble-paved road and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods.

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