The statue found in the ancient city of Odessos "awaits" restoration

A unique archaeological find in the coastal city of Varna. A fully preserved ancient statue was found during construction works in the city.

Archaeologists from Varna discovered a fully preserved statue from Odessos (PHOTOS)

The restoration of Gaius is the name of the preserved ancient statue. Its restoration will be a difficult task because the Archaeological Museum in Varna does not have enough studios.

"The sculpture is from the Roman era, we date it to the end of the second and the first half of the third century. At that time Odessos was in the Roman Empire. It was a flourishing period," said Dr. Vasil Tenekedzhiev, an archaeologist at the Regional History Museum in Varna.

Gaius was dressed in a Roman toga, not the traditional costume of Greek culture, as he was close to the Roman authorities apparently at the time. There were various hypotheses as to why he was thrown into the sands near a river.

"Most likely it was a matter of dealing with the memory of the deceased shortly after his death, or it could have been the early Christians who fought against some of the images in the cities, linking them to pagan cults."

Putting the statue in the sand has helped preserve it over the centuries.