Ancient mystery: archaeologists uncover finely carved face at Heraclea Sintica

During rescue excavations in the western necropolis of the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica near the village of Rupite, archaeologists unearthed a unique find: a finely carved marble face. The discovery was made at a grave that was likely looted during the 1st–2nd century AD.

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The head of the excavation team, Prof. Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, explained that the artifact is likely part of a funerary relief depicting the deceased. The tomb lies nearly four meters below the modern surface and will be subject to detailed study. According to the team, more discoveries will be announced soon, reads a post by the Facebook group “Archaeologia Bulgarica.”

The marble face is just one of several significant discoveries in the necropolis in recent weeks. At the end of June, archaeologists uncovered two terracotta figurines of goddesses, gold jewelry and a double burial of a man and a woman from the Roman era. Among the latest finds is a silver intaglio ring featuring an incised image of a running hunting dog.