New archaeological finds unearthed from the excavations for the Thessaloniki Metro include a headless statue believed to depict the ancient goddess Aphrodite as well as floor mosaics from the 4th century AD.
The statue was found near a fountain complex at the Aghia Sofia station in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki and the discovery was announced on social media by the state-run metro consortium’s president.
Chairman of Attiko Metro SA, Yiannis Mylopoulos, posted the picture of the headless statue on Facebook. As he pointed out, this is the latest find among the 300,000 antiquities that came to light during the archaeological excavations.
Earlier, well-preserved mosaic floors of great aesthetic value dating back to the 4th century were also found at the southern entrance of the Hagia Sophia station, according to Voria.gr website.
Archaeologists believe the multicolored mosaics belong to either a large public building complex or urban villas, are in good condition and they are typical geometric decorations, adorning the floor of the west portico gallery.
From the saved floor, a medal with a woman’s figure stands out. She is in a seated position but her face is destroyed; the face of a small child can be seen too, the Voria.gr report notes.
Apart from the floors, wall ruins and part of a bath that was in the complex have been saved. From the excavations that are still in progress, it turns out there was also a tank that supplied the bath with water. Glass fragments at the site likely belong to bottles with aromatic oils applied by the bathers.
It is estimated that the complex was used until the 5th century and was wrecked then while the marble-lined square was built on top.
The Attiko Metro chairman told Voria.gr the finds do not influence the timetable of the project. “The findings will be evaluated by a special committee of the Ministry of Culture, in which we also participate to find the best way to exhibit them,” he said. Mylopoulos reiterated that for the Attiko Metro administration, the antiquities are not treated like obstacles that hinder the project but as part of this great work.
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