Ancient 2,500-Year-Old Marble Figure Unearthed in Revelation-Cited Sardis
Archaeologists have uncovered a well-preserved 7.2-foot marble statue of a young man at the Sardis site in western Turkey.
Excavators at the ancient city of Sardis, located in Turkey’s Salihli district, have revealed a marble statue about 7.2 feet tall that dates back roughly 2,500 years. The young male figure, discovered face-down, appears to have been repurposed as a paving stone in the Roman period, a factor that preserved its facial details. Its attire—a thick himation over a thin chiton with a unique horizontally-lined garment—reflects local Lydian influences not observed on similar works from Anatolia or Greece.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy described the find as extraordinary and highlighted its potential to illuminate daily life and religious practices in Sardis. Conservators will carefully remove hardened deposits and search for traces of ancient paint, after which the statue will be exhibited at the Manisa Museum. The discovery follows other recent finds in Revelation-linked cities such as Smyrna and Ephesus.
Why it matters
The statue offers rare insight into Lydian culture and religious life in an ancient city named in the Bible.
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