Archaeologists have discovered a 1,800-year-old marble statue of a nymph in Amastris, Turkey

In the Turkish town of Amastris, where archaeological excavations are being carried out under the supervision of museum director Zubeide Kuru and curated by Bartın University, a statue of a nymph has been discovered at a depth of three meters. The Excavation and Research Department of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said that the statue is dated to the 2nd century AD and its height is 153 centimeters.

The site where the excavations are currently underway was handed over to the Turkish Ministry of Education in 2014, under whose leadership construction of a school on the site began in 2017. However, shortly after construction began, archaeological finds were discovered that showed evidence of the Roman past. Construction was halted and the site was put under protection.

The town of Amastris has an ancient history. In the 12th century BC, there was a Phoenician colony of Sesamus on the coast of Amasra. During the reign of the Iranian princess Amastris, the city was one of the key Byzantine harbor-fortresses on the southern coast of the Black Sea.