2,500-year-old monumental marble statue unearthed at ancient Sardes in Türkiye

ISTANBUL, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- A 2,500-year-old monumental marble statue has been unearthed at the ancient city of Sardes in western Türkiye, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on Monday.

In a social media post, Ersoy said the 2.2-meter marble statue dates to the first half of the fifth century B.C. and depicts a standing young man.

The statue features distinctive clothing associated with the ancient Lydian culture and is expected to provide new insights into the region's art, beliefs and daily life, the minister said.

According to Ersoy, the artifact was reused as a paving stone during the Roman period and was preserved in remarkable condition because it had been laid face down for centuries.

Sardes, the capital of the ancient Lydian Kingdom and later an important administrative center under the Achaemenid Persian Empire, has yielded numerous artifacts through decades of excavations, shedding light on the region's history. ■