The Hercules statue and dig site are pictured in provided images. (Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports) Archeologists recently unearthed a nearly 2,000-year-old statue depicting Hercules, one of the best-known heroes in ancient mythology, while working in northeastern Greece.
During an excavation on Sept. 16 in the ancient city of Philippi, "an impressive statue from Roman times" was uncovered from the Roman period, second century AD, depicting Hercules "with a youthful body," according to the country’s Ministry of Culture and Sports, which shared a statement about the discovery."The club, which has been found in fragments, and the lion hanging from the outstretched left hand attest to the identity of the hero," the statement said, according to an English translation. "On the earl's crest, he wears a wreath of vine leaves which is held at the back by a band whose ends end at the shoulders."The archeologists from Aristotle University unearthed the statue while digging at an intersection of two main city streets.
The excavation also uncovered an ornately-decorated structure, likely a fountain, the statement said."Baby Yingliang" is a well-preserved fossilized dinosaur egg that has given scientists another link between prehistoric creatures and modern birds. (Credit: Yingliang Stone Nature History Museum via Storyful)While the team believes the Hercules statue dates back to the second century AD, the structure itself is believed to date back to the eighth or ninth century AD.