Natural gas network dig under the Acropolis stumbles on ancient marble statue

ATHENS, Greece — Work to lay natural gas pipelines near the foot of the Acropolis has uncovered an ancient marble statue of a young man buried almost upright in a brick-lined pit, Greek officials said Monday.

A Culture Ministry statement said the nude statue resembles ancient representations of Hermes, messenger of the Greek gods, and may have decorated the townhouse of a wealthy Roman-era Athenian.

The ministry said the statue is in “quite good condition.” It appears to lack its head, and to have been cracked along the torso in ancient times. The ministry didn’t provide an exact date for the work, but suggested it could be a Roman-era copy of a fifth century B.C. original.

It was unearthed under the junction of two modern streets at the southern end of the Acropolis hill, a few dozen yards from the marble Odeon of Herodes Atticus — an originally roofed Roman-era concert hall where musical performances are still staged.

The area where the discovery was made was built up between the first and fifth centuries A.D. with large, opulent houses decorated with mosaic floors and artworks, which belonged to the city’s wealthier classes.

The ministry announcement didn’t say when exactly the find was made. It said the statue has been taken to a conservation workshop.