They were doing construction work and accidentally found a perfectly preserved statue

A perfectly preserved statue from the ancient city of Odessa was brought to light by archaeologists.

Scholars from the regional historical museum of Varna, (the largest maritime city in Bulgaria today), revealed the discovery of this extraordinary find during excavations in the ancient city. It is a marble sculpture from the Roman era, slightly taller than the average human height.

A pristine find

The statue represents the form of a middle-aged man, with a short beard, dressed in a toga (characteristic garment of ancient Rome) and a parchment in his hand.

At the front of the podium, it is an inscription carved, which, according to the preliminary reading, mentions the name of the man represented: C(i) Marios Hermogenes.

The only missing part is his wrist, while there is minimal damage to the face. Thus, restoration work must be done before it can be exhibited, she says archaeological service of Bulgaria on her Facebook page.

The accidental discovery by a contractor

The statue was discovered during construction work in the area, in a spot of sandy deposits, beyond the walls of the ancient city. Immediately, the contractor, Georgi Kraychev, contacted the museum. It is believed that, the sculpture dates back to the 2^the and the first half of 3^u century.

Ancient Varna

OR today’s city of Varna of northeastern Bulgaria, started from the settlement of Odessa, which was founded by settlers from Miletus in Ionia, around 600 – 550 BC.

The Greeks founded their colony on the site of an earlier Thracian settlement.

In 335 BC, Alexander the Great conquered all of Thrace, and Odessa became part of the Kingdom of Macedonia. Odessa flourished mainly during the Hellenistic period (end of the 3rd^u – 1^the h. BC), when the city became the starting point for the armies of Alexander the Great’s successor, King Lysimachus (323–280 BC) who proclaimed himself king of Thrace.

During this period, large public buildings such as temples, theaters, gymnasiums and others were established. The increase of the Thracian population in the city made it imperative to establish the temple of Heron Karavasmos and Artemis – Phosphorus, on 2^the and the 1^the century BC

In 15 AD, Odessa became part of the Roman Empire, in the province of Moesia (later, Lower Moesia) and was the largest port on the Black Sea.

Huge and elaborate thermal baths (Roman baths) were built, the fourth largest in Europe, 7,000 sq.m.

The ancient Bulgarians, after conquering the First Bulgarian Empire, called it Varna.