Ancient statue of Hercules found while repairing sewers in Rome

Accident in pipes helped to make an archaeological find

An ancient statue of Hercules was found after repairing a Roman sewer. A work depicting a mythological hero, apparently from the period of the Roman Empire, was discovered near the Appian Way.

An ancient Roman statue of Hercules has been discovered while repairing a sewer system under a park in Rome.

The statue, which appears to be from the Roman Empire period (27 BC to 476 AD), emerged from the ground at about the second mile mark along the ancient Via Appia, a famous historic road.

Appia Antica Park announced on a social media site that the area “had a big surprise in store for us: a life-size marble statue that, thanks to the presence of a club and a lion skin covering its head, we can certainly identify as a figure representing Hercules.”

The discovery was made during repairs to some sewer pipes that had collapsed, causing sinkholes and landslides. The excavations reached a depth of 20 meters and, as is often the case in Rome, were carried out in the presence of archaeologists.

Last November, in a network of baths built by the Etruscans in Tuscany, an “exceptional” collection of bronze statues was discovered, preserved for thousands of years thanks to mud and boiling water.

According to The Guardian, the 24 partially submerged statues, which are 2,300 years old and have been voted the most significant find of their kind in the last 50 years, include a sleeping ephebe lying next to Hygeia, the goddess of health, with a snake coiled around her arm.

Last fall, CNN reported that archaeologists had discovered the remains of a more than 1,800-year-old classical statue in the ancient city of Philippi, in northeastern Greece. During the excavations, archaeologists discovered a work from the Roman period, second century AD, depicting the mythical hero Hercules, also known as Hercules, according to a statement from the country’s Ministry of Culture and Sports.

A team of researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece focused their efforts on excavations in one of the main streets of the city, completing them in mid-September. According to the Ministry of Culture, the excavations also unearthed an ornate structure believed to be a fountain that adorned the statue. Archaeologists believe the structure dates back to the eighth or ninth century AD, with the statement explaining that the statues often adorned buildings and public spaces in Constantinople – now Istanbul in Turkey – during Roman rule until the late Byzantine period.