Ancient Marble Statues Unearthed Near Binyamina in Rare Discovery

Two marble statues, about 1,700 years old, depicting figures from the Greco-Roman world, have been found buried in a wine-collection pit at a Roman-Byzantine wine press at the entrance to Binyamina. One of the statues preserves a Greek inscription naming “Lycurgus.”

The Israel Antiquities Authority said the portraits, known as busts, were uncovered during archaeological excavations tied to a Transport Ministry and Israel Railways project to double the coastal railway line for faster trains between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Excavation directors Eliran Oren and Avishag Reis said the statues were found neatly placed face down inside the pit after the press had gone out of use. They said the reason for hiding them is still unknown, though they may have been stored for safekeeping. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery,” they said, adding that the biggest finds often come on the last day.

IAA archaeologist Michael Surotzkin said workers noticed something protruding from the soil, expected it might be pottery, and then realized it was marble. Dr. Peter Gendelman said the find joins earlier portraits of historical figures uncovered in Caesarea, with the last such discovery there in the 1990s. He said the name Lycurgus could refer either to the Spartan lawgiver or to the Athenian statesman and orator from the 4th century BCE, but the research is only beginning.

Gendelman added that such statues were displayed in public buildings and elite homes in Roman times, and that nearby remains of a bathhouse suggest the statues may once have decorated a luxury villa belonging to someone connected to Caesarea. The statues will now undergo cleaning, conservation and further study to identify the figures and their original setting. Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu said the discovery shows how archaeology can reveal the lives of people who lived there centuries ago, and that the state must preserve and make such finds accessible. The statues will be shown to the public for the first time on Thursday at the “In the Center VII” archaeology conference at the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv, which is free and open to the public.