2,500-year-old marble statue survived by being used as a Roman paving stone

A marble statue of a young man holding fruit, carved c. early fifth century BC at Sardis in Manisa, Turkey, was preserved because Romans later laid it face-down as a paving slab on a colonnaded street, shielding its carved surfaces from weather and looting. Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the find on 4 August 2026. Sardis, capital of ancient Lydia, was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2025.