Located on the Black Sea coast in northern Turkey and In the ancient city of Amastris, known as Amasra in the excavations carried out, a water nymph in unusually good condition statue was discovered. Only the left side of the statue's nose and right hand are missing. Archaeologists estimate that the statue dates back to the 2nd century AD.
Statue, 1.53 meters (approximately 5 feet) tall and in real human size, with a rank (pilaster) depicts a nude female figure leaning on a vase placed on top of it. Her right hand is holding the dress that hangs loosely over her hips. Her hair is in a Hercules knot (aka Aphrodite knot); this hairstyle appears in depictions of Apollo in the Early Classical Period (5th century BC) and became popular in statues of Aphrodite and other deities throughout the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. In the photograph, there are traces of what may be traces of blue polychrome paint on the statue's dress, although this could also be a stain of some kind.
Amastris was an ancient Greek city important enough to be mentioned in the Iliad. Its location on the southern coast of the Black Sea and its access to abundant boxwood enabled it to flourish in trade. Part of the Kingdom of Pontus from the mid-3rd century BC, Amastris was captured by Rome in 70 BC and was a prosperous city in the Bithynia-Pontus province of the Roman Empire at the time the statue was made.
Pliny the Younger, author of the famous Natural History and nephew and heir of Pliny the Elder, who died trying to save his friends during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, was appointed governor of the province of Bithynia-Pontus by Emperor Trajan in AD 100. Many of his letters survive, including a letter to the historian Tacitus in which he describes the eruption of Vesuvius that killed his uncle, and his correspondence with Trajan. Around AD 112, he wrote a letter to Trajan, specifically about Amastris:
"My dear sir, the city of Amastris is a fine and beautiful city; among its other important structures is a very long and very beautiful street. On one side of this street flows a stream which, although called a 'river', is actually only a disgusting public sewer, extremely unpleasant to the eye, and very dangerous with its foul odor. It would be beneficial for health and decency to cover it up; with your permission we will carry out this work. I, for my part, will see that there will be no shortage of money to carry out such a noble and necessary work."
Trajan's response is as follows:
"My dear Pliny, if the water flowing from the city of Amastris is harmful to the health of the people as long as it is uncovered, it is surely the most reasonable thing to do to cover it. I have no doubt that you, with your usual diligence, will see that the money for this purpose is not lacking."
In addition, Kuru stated that cleaning works will begin in Amasra Castle, touching on the importance of these works and stating that the plants in the castle cause the stones to gape and spoil the visual resources. He said that in order to solve this problem, mechanical cleaning works will begin through a company authorized by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, and then drug cleaning processes will begin.
Kuru added that these works were carried out within a 3-stage plan.
Providing information about the statue, the Department of Excavations and Research shared on its social media accounts and said, "During our Bartın, Amasra, Gymnasium excavations, a 1.53 cm high statue called Nymph, which is considered to belong to the 2nd century AD, was unearthed."
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She was a very beautiful woman. To which civilization does the work belong? No information is given.