Around 2,100 years ago, a marble statue of Hygieia, the ancient goddess of health and hygiene, stood in the ancient city of Laodicea in what is now western Turkey.
In May 2024, archaeologists excavating Laodicea’s West Theatre uncovered her remarkably well-preserved head from a mass of rubble and ancient sculptures.
Hygieia was the daughter of Asklepios, the Greek god of medicine and healing.
Fittingly, archaeologists had also discovered a statue of Asklepios in the same area. The sculptures date to the Late Hellenistic or Early Augustan period, around 2,100 years ago, although they were created in a style inspired by Greek sculpture of the 4th century BC.
The location of the discoveries is particularly interesting. Ancient sources describe a medical school at Laodicea, and the city appears to have developed a reputation for medicine and healthcare.
But the reason the sculpture survived may lie in a much later event.
Around AD 395–396, during the reigns of Theodosius I and Arcadius, defenses were hastily constructed around Laodicea amid the threat of Sasanian attacks. Parts of the West Theatre were incorporated into the new fortifications, while rooms and passageways in its stage building were filled with rubble, architectural fragments and statues.
More than 1,600 years later, archaeologists began uncovering that ancient fill. Alongside Hygieia and Asklepios, excavations have revealed statues and fragments representing Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Selene, Ares, Eros and other figures.
What was once discarded as building material had effectively become a time capsule