Russia – During excavations on the western side of St. Vladimir’s Cathedral in Chersonesos, Crimea, Russian archaeologists discovered part of the largest statue in the history of excavations in the region.
This was reported by journalists of the press service of the State Historical and Archaeological Museum “Taurida-Chersonesos Reserve” (or (Chersonesos)) in Sevastopol.
The head of the department at the museum, Daniel Kostromichev, said: “A fragment of a marble statue was found in the south of the western entrance to the cathedral, in an archaeological layer dating back to the Roman era.
The proportions of the remaining part of the statue allow that the height of the carved figure was 4 meters, and he explained that the piece discovered today is part of the largest statue that was found in the Chersonesos region.
The discovered piece is part of the foot. Archaeologists have assumed that the statue might represent a Roman emperor. This piece is also supposed to be a sandal made of leather straps. Such sandals were usually worn by soldiers of the Roman army, but it is likely that a statue of a Roman emperor from the first centuries AD was carved in such a size.
Daniel Kostromichev said that the emperors of Rome wore military uniforms, and the emperor is first and foremost the commander-in-chief of the army, and added that the discovery deserves to be displayed in the Chersonesos Museum in Crimea.
In addition to this part of the statue, burial structures dating back to the Middle Ages were discovered in the wild mud in front of the western entrance to the cathedral. Kostromichev explained that studying it will allow checking information regarding an unknown Christian church that was established following the ninth century AD.
The area where the modern city of Sevastopol is located has been inhabited for 2.5 thousand years. In the years 424-421 BC, an ancient Greek colony was founded there called Chersonesos-Taurida, and the city existed until the end of the fourteenth century AD. It is believed that Prince Vladimir, the ruler of the ancient Russian state, converted here to Christianity in the tenth century AD.
Source: TASS
