
Two 1,700-Year-Old Roman Statues Unearthed Near Haifa
Two remarkably preserved marble statues from the Roman period have been unearthed near the town of Binyamina, just south of Haifa, during excavations carried out ahead of a major expansion of Israel's coastal railway. The Israel Antiquities Authority and the MUZA – Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv announced the find on Monday, June 15.
The two sculptures, known as protomes, depict the heads and upper torsos of figures from the Greco-Roman world, and were discovered face down inside the wine-collection pit of a Roman-Byzantine winepress. “Mysteriously, they were found neatly laid, face down, inside a wine-collection pit, meaning they were buried when it went out of use. At present, it is not known why the statues were hidden here – perhaps to preserve them,” said excavation directors Eliran Oren and Avishag Reiss, who called it “a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.”
One of the busts bears a Greek inscription naming Lycurgus, a name carried by two notable figures of antiquity – Lycurgus of Sparta, regarded as the city's founder, and Lycurgus of Athens, a famed fourth-century BCE statesman and orator. Researchers believe the statues may once have adorned a luxurious villa near the ancient port city of Caesarea, the last comparable discovery having been made in the 1990s. The statues went on public display for the first time at MUZA during an archaeology conference on Thursday, June 18, and will remain on view throughout the summer.
(JPost/VFI News)
Father, we thank You for the rich heritage You have woven into the land of Israel, where every excavation uncovers another testimony to the long story of life in this place. We praise You for the wonder of history brought to light and for the careful hands that preserve it. May these discoveries stir hearts around the world to marvel at the land of the Bible, and may they draw many to seek the One who has watched over this land through every age. We give You thanks, for You are the Author of all history.
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