Excavation of Philippi: Students from the University of Thessaloniki discovered the head of a statue of Apollo

 

Excavation of Philippi: Students from the University of Thessaloniki discovered the head of a statue of Apollo

The statue head at the time of the find

15 students took part in the excavation - The head dates back to the 2nd or early 3rd century. A.D. and probably adorned a fountain at Philippi.

On Friday, September 15, 2023, the excavation research carried out by the team of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Philippi under the direction of the professor of Byzantine Archaeology Natalia Poulos and with direct collaborators the assistant professor of Byzantine Archaeology Anastasios Tantsis, as well as the emeritus professor of Byzantine Archaeology Aristotle Mentzos, was completed.

15 AUTh students (11 undergraduates, 2 postgraduates and 2 PhD candidates) took part in the excavation. The research was funded by the regular budget and the Research Committee of AUTh.

This year the excavation continued east of the southern main street (decumanus) at the point where it meets the northern axis of the city (the so-called "Egnatia"). The continuation of the marble-paved road was revealed, on its surface where a coin (bronze follis) of the emperor Leo VI (886-912) was found, an element that helps to determine the duration of use of the road.

The statue head at the time of the find

At the point of convergence of the two streets, a widening (square) appears to take shape, dominated by a richly decorated building. The data from last year's excavation led the researchers to the hypothesis that it was a fountain house. The findings of this year's research confirm this view and help the research team to better understand its shape and function.

The research of 2022 brought to light part of the rich decoration of the fountain, the most impressive of which is the statue depicting a beardless Hercules with a youthful body. The recent excavation (2023) revealed the head of another statue: it belongs to a beardles male figure with a rich head of hair surmounted by a wreath of laurel leaves. This head seems to belong to a statue of the god Apollo. Like the statue of Herakles, it dates back to the 2nd or early 3rd century. A.D. and probably adorned the fountain, which took its final form during the 8th to 9th centuries.

According to the research sources, but also from the archaeological data, it is known that in Constantinople statues from the classical and Roman periods adorned buildings and public spaces until the late Byzantine period.

This find reinforces the hypothesis formulated by the Aristotle University team in 2022 about the way public spaces were decorated in the important cities of the Byzantine Empire, including Philippi.

The excavation will continue next year.