1,800 year-old marble figurine found in Israel

An 1,800 year old unusual figurine bust made of marble and depicting a miniature image of a bearded man's head has been discovered in Israel.

According to a report in the Epoch Times, the figurine was found in an excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the area of the Givati car park in the City of David, in the Walls around Jerusalem National Park.

Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, directors of the site excavation, said that the high level of finish on the figurine is extraordinary, and it meticulously adheres to the tiniest of details.

The man depicted in the bust has a short curly beard, and its head is slightly inclined to the right.

Both details are indicative of Greek-influenced work and dates it around the second or third centuries, considered a zenith of Roman sculpture.

The marble is also of a pale yellow shade, which indicates raw material from an eastern origin. The exact origin of the materials is being investigated.

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