Gas workers stumble upon remarkable Hermes statue near Acropolis

A white marble statue depicts a nude male figure in the style of the Ludovisi Hermes was discovered during municipal works for a natural gas network near the Acropolis. According to SKAI, the statue was found within a trench only one meter wide and located within a construction built of rectangular bricks.

The statue, noted as remarkable, resembles the type known as the Ludovisi Hermes, which typically portrays a youthful, beardless Hermes with a thoughtful, almost sorrowful expression. Proto Thema notes that this type of sculpture is normally associated with Hermes as Hermes Psychopompus. The statue was found in fairly good condition and is distinguished by its high degree of preservation. It will receive "necessary care" in the conservation laboratories, as reported by Capital.

The area south of the Acropolis, where the statue was unearthed, was historically home to several affluent Roman villas during the Roman imperial period from the 1st to 5th centuries CE. These urban villas were characterized by special luxury, including mosaic floors and an abundance of decorations. News 247 reports that the sculptures in these villas were works of the famous Neo-Attic workshops, and statues like the Hermes Ludovisi are believed to have been heavily influenced by the style of Phidias and his workshop.

After completing the documentation of the artifact, the Archaeological Ephorate of the City of Athens staff transferred the statue to the conservation laboratories, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture, and it may be exhibited for public viewing in the future.

Hermes is regarded as the herald of the gods and is widely recognized as the guardian of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators.

The original Hermes Ludovisi statue was acquired by Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi for the Ludovisi collection and is now on display at the Palazzo Altemps in Italy, according to GreekReporter.com.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, near where the statue was found, is a Roman theatre located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens, Greece. It was constructed in 161 CE by Herodes Atticus in memory of his Roman wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla.

The Greek Ministry of Culture did not provide an exact date for the work but suggested the statue could be a Roman-era copy of a fifth-century BCE original.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq