The Archaeological News Network reports that a marble statue of Silenus, dating to the Hellenistic era, has been unearthed in the Agora of Ancient Pella. The statue was found in the North Portico of the Agora, in an area which appears to have been reserved for cult purposes.
The statue was found during the excavation of the North Portico, in a destruction layer in Area 10, and has already been moved to the workshops of the archaeological site of Pella for restoration.
The area where the rare find was discovered, and in general the North Portico of the Agora, does not appear to have been commercial in nature. According to the Director of the University excavations in the Agroa of Pella, I. Akamatis, finds from the destruction layer include building foundations that, while definitely public character, suggest a more formal function, possibly reserved for worship. He adds:
"This place constantly surprises us and has many more secrets to reveal. This is a unique find for the area: a standing bearded male figure is depicted, wearing an animal hide and boot-like shoes, and still retaining sporadic traces of the original paint."
Based on the distinctive facial features, archaeologists believe that the figure belongs to the world of Dionysus and is likely to be Silenus who, along with Satyrs and Maenads, followed the bustling god of joy and mirth.
The Hellenistic Agora, built during the reign of Cassander (late 4th century BC), is fully integrated into the urban plan of the city. It is located in the centre of the archaeological site of Pella which also hosts a vast palace complex covering an area of 60,000 square metres, as well as sanctuaries, fortifications, private dwellings and a necropolis. Near the spot where the statue was discovered, a semicircular structure with small lead pipes connected to a small water tank, probably part of a small fountain, as well as a fragment from a colossal bronze statue have also been found. Four colonnaded porticoes lined a massive open-air rectangular square whose main access point is a 15 meters wide avenue that crosses the east-west axis. The Agora served as the commercial, administrative and social center of Hellenistic Pella until its destruction 200 years later, probably by an earthquake.
The statue was found during the excavation of the North Portico, in a destruction layer in Area 10, and has already been moved to the workshops of the archaeological site of Pella for restoration.
The area where the rare find was discovered, and in general the North Portico of the Agora, does not appear to have been commercial in nature. According to the Director of the University excavations in the Agroa of Pella, I. Akamatis, finds from the destruction layer include building foundations that, while definitely public character, suggest a more formal function, possibly reserved for worship. He adds:
"This place constantly surprises us and has many more secrets to reveal. This is a unique find for the area: a standing bearded male figure is depicted, wearing an animal hide and boot-like shoes, and still retaining sporadic traces of the original paint."
Based on the distinctive facial features, archaeologists believe that the figure belongs to the world of Dionysus and is likely to be Silenus who, along with Satyrs and Maenads, followed the bustling god of joy and mirth.
The Hellenistic Agora, built during the reign of Cassander (late 4th century BC), is fully integrated into the urban plan of the city. It is located in the centre of the archaeological site of Pella which also hosts a vast palace complex covering an area of 60,000 square metres, as well as sanctuaries, fortifications, private dwellings and a necropolis. Near the spot where the statue was discovered, a semicircular structure with small lead pipes connected to a small water tank, probably part of a small fountain, as well as a fragment from a colossal bronze statue have also been found. Four colonnaded porticoes lined a massive open-air rectangular square whose main access point is a 15 meters wide avenue that crosses the east-west axis. The Agora served as the commercial, administrative and social center of Hellenistic Pella until its destruction 200 years later, probably by an earthquake.
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