site.btaRestored Sculpture Found in Heraclea Sintica Unveiled in Petrich

A restored sculpture discovered during excavations in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica has been officially unveiled in Petrich. The Mayor of Petrich Municipality, Dimitar Brachkov, and the head of the excavations, Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski, presented the cleaned and reinforced statue for the first time at the Petrich History Museum, where it will be exhibited.

This is the second sculpture found during the excavations in Heraclea Sintica. It was transported to the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS) for restoration on December 5, 2024. The statue was registered as a cultural asset so the relocation can be carried out. 

During the event, Mayor Brachkov thanked NAIM-BAS Director Associate Professor Hristo Popov for the excellent cooperation, as well as all the specialists and the team of the Petrich History Museum, represented by its director, Katya Stoyanova.

Vagalinski noted that the Petrich History Museum now possesses a collection of ancient statues unparalleled in Bulgaria. The professor’s team is still puzzled as to why the statue’s head was found six meters away from its body, facing it. After thorough analyses and isotope studies, it was established that the marble for both sculptures was imported from the island of Thasos, Vagalinski said.

According to the specialists, the second sculpture discovered in the ancient city dates from the late 2nd century AD, making it about 150–160 years younger than the first statue found. Both statues were carved from a single block of marble, which Vagalinski described as an astonishing display of craftsmanship.

The sculpture depicts a military aristocrat who likely died at a young age, art historian Arina Korzun said.

She noted that the discovery of the statue’s head made it possible to date the piece and to make assumptions about the person immortalized in marble. The portrait has slightly idealized facial features. The hairstyle, typical of the late 2nd century, was a key factor in dating the work. During the Roman Empire, hairstyles often followed the fashion set by the emperor, Korzun added.

She said that the sculpture impresses with its well-defined musculature. The contrast between the beardless face and the muscular physique was intended by the sculptor to emphasize the subject’s active life. "We assume that he held a military position. Another supporting detail are the sideburns. There was a tradition for young military commanders to be portrayed with sideburns but no beard, an image associated with the youthful gods of war, Ares and the Roman Mars. We can conclude that our statue, created toward the end of the 2nd century, depicts a young military aristocrat who likely died early in life," the art historian added.

Reneta Karamanova, the restorer of the sculpture, said that the most challenging part of the restoration process was determining how to address the cracks in the legs while ensuring the statue’s stability. "It is always difficult to decide how much and how far we should intervene as restorers," she said. "In our profession, it is crucial to find the right balance between intervening in the original and making sure the object is structurally sound and secure," she added.