“Mystery of the Headless Statue: Ancient Relic Discovered in Trash Sparks Archaeological Enigma in Thessaloniki”
So far, no other information about the abandoned statue has been made public, though archaeologists did announce future plans to study it further through lab tests and conservation.
Surprising Discoveries Of Greek Antiquities Inexplicably Tossed Away
In a press statement, local police said that an archaeologist who examined the statue said it “falls under the relevant legislation.” As a result, the statue was seized by officers from the Cultural Heritage Protection Office of the Department for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Persons and Goods, who are working to examine the statue for any clues before sending it to an archaeological lab.
Greek Ministry of CultureThe presumed Hermes Ludovisi statue that was discovered near the Acropolis in Athens.
Greek authorities have grown somewhat accustomed to finding ancient statues in odd locations, though few, if any, were found so casually tossed in the trash. In December 2024, for instance, Greek workers preparing to lay gas pipes unearthed a statue of the Greek messenger god Hermes, just south of the Acropolis in Athens. Earlier that year, in March, an 1,800-year-old statue head of the god Apollo was unearthed by archaeology students in the city of Philippi.
Most often, these finds are not the results of crimes but rather the unavoidable result of the passage of time. However, this newly-discovered statue’s discovery in a garbage bag certainly adds a unique twist to the case.
After reading about this Greek statue found in a garbage bag, learn all about the Greek gods of Olympus. Or, read about the story behind the Venus De Milo, the famous armless sculpture.
