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Hadrian statue found in Turkey


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Kibyra, Turkey, has been the site of recent archaeological research. (See posts below.) Researchers have found a statue of Hadrian (reign 117-138).

The statue is dated to Hadrian’s reign (AD 117–138) because its portrait features match the standardized imperial iconography used only during his lifetime, and because the stylistic and archaeological context supports the creation around AD 130. This also aligns with Hadrian’s documented travels through Anatolia, when cities often commissioned new imperial statues.

It is believed that the statue was shattered during an earthquake in AD 417 when it toppled from an upper section of a monumental gateway.

The archaeologists in Kibyra (south‑western Turkey) have reconstructed the 2.14‑m marble statue of Emperor Hadrian, along with additional imperial sculptures, from fragments long buried in the ruins of the city’s Monumental Entrance Gate.

The nearly complete marble statue of Emperor Hadrian was reconstructed from a portrait head and an armoured torso found in separate excavation seasons. It stands shows him in elaborately decorated military dress with lion and eagle reliefs. 

Roughly 20 sculptural pieces (arms, legs, feet, torsos, portrait heads) have been recovered across excavation phases.  

 Fragments of a statue of Empress Sabina, Hadrian’s wife, were also identified, along with additional male and female sculptures. 

 


 

https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/08/monumental-roman-statues-emerge-from-ruins-of-ancient-kibyra/159075

 

 


 

 

 

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Edited by guy
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