On the night of January 18, a 32-year-old Greek man went to the police saying he had found an unusual object inside a plastic bag inside a trash can near the northern city of Thessaloniki.
It was a statue depicting a woman without a neck and arms, wearing flowing draped clothing.
Police said Wednesday that the statue is believed to date from the Hellenistic period, from 323 BC to around 31 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great.
The discovery sparked an investigation between Greece's crime, human trafficking, antiquities and heritage protection sectors into its origins and how it ended up in the trash.
In a country as rich in history and archeology as Greece, it is not uncommon for ancient artifacts to be discovered in surprising locations. Artifacts are often unearthed during construction projects such as preparations for the 2004 Olympics and excavation of subway systems.
Culture Ministry spokesperson Vasilis Tempelis said in an email Wednesday that “this is not the first time” a civilian has handed over a statue to a police station.
Police said the Ministry of Culture had completed a preliminary investigation into the statue and concluded that it falls under Greek law protecting antiquities. A three-person panel will attempt to determine its composition and age.
The statue is approximately 31 inches tall, according to the Associated Press.
Dr Bart Smith, professor of classical archeology at the University of Oxford and Bilkent University in Turkey, said the statue looked like a miniature statue of a goddess.
“Small size is typical for such marble votives dedicated to deities in sanctuaries and temples,” he said in an email, based on his observations based on official photos of the statue.
“People prayed to God and gave thanks to God for his blessings,” Dr. Smith said. “Small statues like this are likely the result of costly personal dedication.”
This figure's clothing represents a thick woolen dress and is called a peplos. It was created by archaeologists and was the common attire of gods. However, the statue's arms and head were lost in the past.
“Arms may tell us what the person was doing and what attributes they had,” he says. And what about the head? “During the figure's subsequent long history, it was shot off by the arm.”
