A fully preserved statue - a portrait of a citizen from the Roman era, has been discovered in the city of Varna, Bulgaria
The latest and extremely valuable finding of the Varna Regional Museum of History is a fully preserved marble statue of a prominent citizen of the ancient city Odessos.
The statue is masterfully sculpted from fine white marble and is slightly larger than the usual human height. The artifact has been discovered during an archaeological survey preceding construction works in sandy deposits area outside the fortress walls of the ancient city. The statue portrays a full-size straight standing man with a short beard and exquisitely rendered portrait features, wearing a toga. In his left hand he holds a manuscript. The right wrist of the sculpture is detached. It is particularly significant that the pedestal inscription is preserved in Ancient Greek – the official language of Odessos even in the Roman era: Γ(άϊος) Μάριος Ἑρμογένης / ζῶν ἑαυτῷ τὸ ἄγαλμα κατεσκεύασεν.
The inscription has been read separately by two experts. According to Nikolai Sharankov, it reads “Gaius Marius Hermogenes set up this statue for himself in his lifetime”. Momchil Banev’s translation is close: “Gaius Marius Hermogenes raised this monument for himself during his lifetime”.
The preliminary dating of the monument is the second half of the 2nd – first half of the 3rd century AD. This is one of the flourishing periods of the ancient city. Around the same time, the famous Roman baths of Odessos were built and functioned. In all probability, the sculpture was a tomb one.
The statue is about to be cleaned by a restorer and prepared for display in the Archaeological Museum of Varna.
The portrait of Gaius Marius Hermogenes is the first fully preserved statue from the ancient era in Varna and one of the rarest in Bulgaria.
Varna Regional Museum of History expresses its gratitude to the construction contractor Georgi Kraychev and his team for their responsible attitude and invaluable help in lifting and transporting the monument to the building of the Archaeological Museum in Varna.
(animation: Boris Bodev)
