A recently uncovered marble statue in Heraclea Sintica, near the Rupite region in Bulgaria, has drawn significant attention, particularly regarding its identity. Initially believed to represent the god Hermes, experts now suggest it may depict a "heroized ruler." This revelation came as the statue's features were briefly revealed before it was prepared for transport to the museum in Petrich, as reported by the Facebook page Archaeologia Bulgarica.

The statue, measuring over 2 meters tall and weighing nearly a ton, presented challenges during its removal, which took six days and required a special chest and crane. According to BNT, the successful extraction was aided by a bit of luck.

The head of the excavation team, Prof. Dr. Lyudmila Vagalinsky, noted the statue's intriguing facial features, suggesting it embodies the likeness of a ruler portrayed as a deity. She elaborated that it is more likely a representation of a "heroized ruler" rather than Hermes.

The statue is believed to date back to the New Era or potentially the 1st century BC. Prof. Vagalinsky expressed satisfaction with its condition, given that it had lain undisturbed in a canal for approximately 1,600 years.

A recent statement by Archaeologia Bulgarica states: "The sculpture of Heraclea Sintica was safely transported to the museum in Petrich. As you can see from the pictures here, the restorers still have work to do on it. So far, the missing parts of the hands have not been found. After uncovering the full face, archaeologists saw portrait features, but they are still probably idealized, so they will need a little more time to make a more definite guess as to who the god depicted might be."

Interest in the discovery has been widespread, with notable global media outlets such as Reuters, AFP, Newsweek, and Forbes covering the find.