Rare bronze statuette of Priapus discovered at Novae near Svishtov

A rare bronze statuette of the ancient Greek god Priapus has been discovered during archaeological excavations at the Roman city of Novae near Svishtov. Only five similar finds are known from the Lower Danube region, the University of Warsaw said.

Novae has been continuously studied by a Polish-Bulgarian archaeological team since 1960. Prof. Piotr Dyczek, Director of the University of Warsaw’s Antiquity of Southeastern Europe Research Centre, said the latest finds also include “a fragment of a gold ring and two inscribed altars, one of them almost completely preserved”.

“Each of these finds is another piece of the puzzle that allows us to better understand the lives of the inhabitants of Novae and the history of this exceptionally important Roman centre on the Danube,” the professor said.

The bronze statuette was discovered by archaeologists from the University of Warsaw while excavating a monumental residential complex covering more than 3,000 square metres, Petya Andreeva, Chief Assistant Professor at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, told 24 Chasa. Other finds include painted plasterwork and an exquisitely crafted multicoloured floor.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova