The discovery of an ancient Roman statue in excavations in central Istanbul, Turkey

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient statue buried under a park in central Istanbul , Turkey , the Istanbul Municipality announced on Monday.

The municipality said in a press release that the statue, which is believed to be from the Roman era, is of a human torso wearing the cloak of the Himation, an outer garment worn by men and women in ancient times.

The statue was found one meter underground in Sarashan Archaeological Park in Sarashan district.

The park is located on the site of the ruins of the 1,500-year-old St. Polyeuctus Church.

The church was built between 524 and 527, and remained open until the end of the tenth century. The church remained lost until the 1960s when tunnel construction in Sarachan revealed the ruins. The Istanbul Archaeological Museums and Oxford University began excavating the site in 1964 and found the foundations of the church before the work stopped four years later.

Currently, the site of the church is occupied by a park in the Fatih district on the European side, where it often hosts archeology-related events for the public.

The Heritage Directorate of the Greater Istanbul Municipality resumed excavations in the park in June 2022.

In addition to the Roman statue, excavations also unearthed 681 bronze coins, sealed bricks, pieces of marble, ceramics, oil lamps, and glass and metal pieces.