Archaeologists Find a Marble Statue in an Ancient Roman Sewer

Archaeologists in Bulgaria made an unexpected discovery in an ancient Roman sewer last week: A well-preserved marble statue, taller than a man.

“We found it by accident,” said Lyudmil Vagalinski, the scientific director of the excavation. “It was amazing. A whole statue appeared in front of us.”

The discovery could illuminate how people in the area, modern-day Bulgaria, fought to preserve their religion as Christianity swept across the ancient world. The sewer may have been a hiding place used by pagans trying to protect the imposing statue from Christian zealots, who sometimes destroyed the heads of pagan deities.

They seem to have succeeded: Researchers have not yet unearthed the entire statue, but the face and head show no signs of destruction.

“It’s a miracle that it survived,” Dr. Vagalinski said.

He and his colleagues were working on a routine dig near the village of Rupite, close to Bulgaria’s southwestern border with Greece, in the blistering summer heat last week when they spotted marble in the soil.

They tried to keep their excitement in check, Dr. Vagalinski said, as a marble foot emerged. Then, they saw careful carvings on the toenails. Legs sprouted upward. A torso followed. Finally, a head.