A white marble statue depicting a nude male in the Hellenistic style of Hermes Ludovisi was found in Athens near the Odeon of Herodes Atticus during works for a natural gas network on Monday.

The headless statue was found in good condition in a trench a meter wide between the Erechthiou and Kallisperi Streets, and had been placed in a space built of rectangular bricks, the Culture Ministry said in a statement.

In this area south of the Acropolis lay some of the wealthiest urban villas of Athens that were built during the imperial years (1st-5th centuries AD), the ministry said. These buildings were proof of the wealth of Athens and its attraction to rich and cultured citizens, whose homes were decorated with mosaic floors and statues produced by the famed Neo-Attic workshops.

After completing the documentation of the artifact, the Archaeological Ephorate of the City of Athens staff transferred the statue to the conservation laboratories, the ministry said.

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