bronze statue of Apollo, found in Gaza
Source : repubblica.it


bronze statue of Apollo, found in the Gaza Strip
. Fragment
Source : thetimes.co.uk

The most valuable antique bronze statue of the Greek god Apollo was found in the Gaza Strip . According to the official version, bronze sculpture , weighing about 500 kg and a height of 1.7 m in August 2013 caught at sea by local fishermen. However, it is possible that Apollo found in the earth , and the version of the fishing catch is published in order to avoid claims from owners of the territory where it happened .

26 -year-old Palestinian fisherman Judah Hornbeam ( Joudat Ghrab) said in an interview with Reuters, that within four hours , along with four other fishermen put up a statue of the sea. On the shore had to put it on a cart , it was so heavy . His mother first saw Apollo protested his nudity and asked her to cover up. Grab Judah admitted that at the beginning of sawed off one finger at the statue , suggesting that it is made of gold. His brother without his knowledge sawed off another finger for their own research. This finger was melted like a jeweler .

Soon after the discovery of the statue appeared briefly on the online auction site eBay with a price tag of $ 500 thousand , hardly reflect its true value . Gaza authorities , representatives of the group Hamas , soon seized the statue and yet hide it from prying eyes - including from foreign archaeologists. Hamas representatives said they are looking for someone who was trying to sell the statue on eBay. In the Internet until a few leaked images of Apollo, casually lying on a mattress. But even these blurred photos global archaeological community was enough to understand the uniqueness of findings .

Statue preserved in virtually intact , and that this led some archaeologists to believe that Apollo still found in the ground, and not caught in the sea. On the statue can not see obvious signs of corrosion or shellfish that usually cover the subjects were under water for a long time . If the artifact was still found on land , it is crucial to find out where it happened, because there may be something else . Apollo depicts young , with curly hair, turned palm up , right hand. In the right eye of the statue remained plate of copper sulfate , left empty .

approximate age of the statue at least 2000 years (V - I c. BCE ).

as deputy prime minister of the Hamas government , Ziad al- Zaza , after the study is completed statues of local forces , the Gaza Strip is planning to come into contact with relevant international organizations - particularly the French . Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Gaza Mohammed Hull said that this finding may contribute to the establishment of diplomatic relations with the rest of the world Hamas . " The statue can be given for rent famous French or the British Museum , which will help to establish contacts with foreign governments ," - said in an interview with Mohammed Hull AFP.

Prepared by Mary Onuchina , AI

Sources : jpost.com , artdaily.com , theguardian.com , artinvestment.ru