Perilous Times and The
Revived Roman Empire
Giant Statue of Roman Emperor Hadrian unearthed
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The statue dates to the early period of
Hadrian's reign
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Parts of a huge, exquisitely carved statue of the Roman Emperor
Hadrian have been found at an archaeological site in south-central
Turkey.
The original statue would have stood 4m-5m
in height, experts estimate.
His achievements include the massive wall
built across the width of northern Britain which bears his name.
Ruling Rome from AD117 to
AD138; he was known as a great
military administrator and is one of the so-called "five good
emperors".
So far, the excavators have unearthed the
head, foot and part of a leg.
But they are hopeful other parts of the
statue may be uncovered in coming weeks.
The foot is 80cm (31.5 ins) long, the leg -
from just
above the knee to the ankle - is nearly 70m (27ins) long. The head,
which is almost intact save for its broken nose, also measures 70cm (27
ins).
'Beautiful depiction'
The pieces of this giant monument to
Hadrian were found
about 5m below ground, among the buried ruins of a bath house on the
site Sagalassos, an ancient mountaintop town in southern Turkey.
The statue dates to the early part of
Hadrian's reign.
The elaborate decoration on the sandal suggest he was depicted in
military garb.
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The statue is buried about 5m below the
ground
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The discovery was made by archaeologists
from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, who have been
investigating the site since 1990.
Marc Waelkens, director of the excavation,
said this was one of the "most beautiful depictions" of the emperor
ever found.
Born in AD76 into a well-to-do family in
Italica, near
modern Seville, Spain, Hadrian presided over a period of relative peace
and prosperity in the Roman Empire. He erected permanent fortifications
along the empire's borders in order to consolidate Roman power.
The northernmost extent of this frontier is
still
standing: Hadrian's Wall runs across the width of northern Britain,
from Wallsend to the Solway Firth. It was built to repel attacks by
Caledonian tribes.
Imperial cult
The bath house in which the statue was
found was
destroyed by a major earthquake sometime between the late sixth and
early seventh centuries AD.
The statue was originally created in
pieces, which were then slotted into place to create an imposing
monument to the emperor.
It is these constituent parts that are now
lying on the
floor of the wrecked bath house: when the building collapsed, the
statue fell apart along its joins.
![Hadrian's Wall]()
Hadrian's Wall runs all the way from
Wallsend to the Solway Firth
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In the last few days, the team has also discovered
marble toes with dowel holes to fix it to a long dress belonging to
another huge statue which may be of Hadrian's wife Sabina.
The inhabitants of Sagalassos had special
affection for
Hadrian. He officially recognised it as the "first city" of the Roman
province of Pisidia and made it the centre for an official cult in the
region which worshipped the emperor.
These administrative changes attracted
thousands of visitors during imperial festivals, boosted trade and, in
turn, prosperity.
"As a kind of thanks to the emperor, there
were private
and public monuments to Hadrian erected throughout the city," Marc
Waelkens told the BBC News website.
A sanctuary, or temple, to Hadrian was
built in the southern part of Sagalassos.
And in a monumental fountain next
to the bath house,
archaeologists have found part of a gilded bronze statue of the
emperor, paid for by one of Sagalassos' most prominent families.
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