Cornell University

Best of the last batch

A 2,500 year-old, 7-foot-tall statue was discovered by researchers with the Harvard-Cornell Archaeological Exploration of Sardis. The statue had been broken into two main pieces and reused, face down, as paving stones on an ancient Roman avenue. A team of conservators excavated around the statue to gradually reveal its full shape and size in the ground. “After all the anticipation, I was worried the statue might be underwhelming, that we’d dig it up and find its front weathered beyond recognition," said James McCurley, a Harvard student who worked on the dig over the summer. "Discovering that the statue was not only well-preserved, but almost intact and 2,500 years old was a wonderful surprise.” When conservation is complete, the fragments will be joined and the statue will be displayed in a Turkish archaeological museum, along with other finds from Sardis. Photos by Archaeological Exploration of Sardis