Israel Uncovers 2 Roman Marble Statues Aged 1,700 Years During Rail Dig

Q: Who was the mysterious 'Lycurgus,' and what disaster forced the statues' owner to abandon them in a winepress?

“Lycurgus” has not been definitively identified. Archaeologists say the Greek inscription could refer either to Lycurgus of Sparta, the semi-legendary lawgiver, or to Lycurgus of Athens, the 4th-century BCE statesman and orator. The research is still at an early stage, so no firm attribution has been made. As for the “disaster,” there is no confirmed single event. The statues were deliberately placed face down in the winepress pit, which strongly suggests they were hidden for safekeeping rather than casually discarded. Archaeologists think the owner may have concealed them during the upheavals of the late Roman to Byzantine transition and then never returned. The leading explanations are religious and social turmoil in the 4th century CE: the Christianization of the empire and the suppression of pagan imagery, fear of looting or brigandage during regional instability, or a personal catastrophe such as the owner’s death, displacement, or sudden flight. In short, the identity of Lycurgus remains unresolved, and the event that forced the abandonment of the statues is also unknown, though scholars suspect some form of late Roman-era upheaval.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 27

Two 1,700-year-old Roman marble statues were found near Binyamina during an excavation ahead of a coastal high-speed railway project, with researchers now cleaning and conserving them for identification.
The figures surfaced in the wine collection pit of a Roman-Byzantine winepress, where they had been laid face down and likely buried intentionally when the installation fell out of use.
One statue carries the Greek name "Lycurgus," and Israel Antiquities Authority experts say it could point to a historical figure from Sparta or Athens, though analysis is only beginning.
IAA archaeologists called the find the first of its kind in about 30 years and said the statues may once have adorned a public building, bathhouse or a wealthy Caesarea-area villa.
The discovery adds to a run of Israeli archaeological announcements this year, including a 1,700-year-old Roman statuette fragment found in the Negev and an ancient tunnel uncovered near Jerusalem.