The second statue discovered in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica is transported to the museum in Petrich

The second statue, which was discovered a few days ago in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica will be moved to the museum in Petrich on October 4. A team of specialists and archaeologists have been preparing for this moment for some time, with the main task being to preserve and move the ancient sculpture to the museum.

Archaeologists discover a second marble statue in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica (see video and pictures)

The construction has already been taken out, placed on a platform, secured with safety ropes, covered on top. The crane arrived that will lift it from where it is now, at the entrance of the Cloaca Maxima. The statue was placed on a truck and then, hopefully, safely transported to the museum in Petrich. It will only stay in the museum for about a month, so the tourists who wish to see it can do so in the coming month. Then the statue will be sent to Sofia, where its restoration will be carried out. Professor Vagalinski's team and he himself hope that by the end of the year, the beginning of the next one, the whole restoration will be completed and the statue will be returned to its home.

The statue needs to be moved first in order to start the restoration. Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski, the head of the excavation team, expressed his concerns because the statue's right thigh was broken over the years and despite the efforts of the people in the past to preserve it, the crack now poses a safety problem for the entire sculpture.

"The thigh was cracked in antiquity and it is more seriously than we assumed at the beginning, when we uncovered the statue. The people in the past had taken measures, placing a metal iron spike, here in this section, they have reinforced the upper part of the thigh, and in the lower part, near the knee - they have put this plate, it is like the so-called 'swallow tails'. They used this technique. But obviously they've got it right. Judging by the condition of these metal reinforcements, this was done a long time ago in antiquity," Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski, head of the archaeological excavations, said.

Once the statue is moved, which will happen by the end of the day, Professor Vagalinski will be able to confirm for sure whether the head that was found 6 metres away from the statue belongs to it or not.

A huge marble statue of a deity discovered by archaeologists in ancient city of Heraclea Sintica near Petrich