A 1700-year-old Roman man bust discovered during excavations of the ancient city of Soli Pompeiopolis in Mersin.

It was claimed that Mersin Archeology Museum was looking for a sponsor to exhibit the bust found in the excavations of the Soli Pompeipolis Ancient City.

A 1700-year-old Roman man bust discovered during excavations of the ancient city of Soli Pompeiopolis in Mersin. The name of the city comes from Pompeius Magnus and Marcus Crassus, who were once companions of Rome’s permanent dictator Julius Caesar. This marble bust, removed from the columned street of the ancient city, depicts a curly and fur-bearded man. M. S 2. Until centuries, Roman male sculptures were often depicted in idealized shaved ways like Greek athletes. But Hadrian, the emperor of the Antonine era, was first described as bearded. Hadrian is seen with a beard in all his portraits. Many of the emperors who followed him continued to be portrayed as beards. Hadrian, who contributed a lot to art and architecture, also contributed to the art of sculpture.

WALL –  The male bust, found in the excavations of the Soli Pompeipolis Ancient City in Mezitli 5 years ago, is waiting to be taken out of the warehouse of the Mersin Archeology Museum and exhibited in the section of the museum dedicated to Soli. It was claimed that the museum was looking for sponsors so that the bust could be exhibited.

Prof. Dr. During the 2018 season of Soli Pompeipolis Ancient City excavations carried out under the direction of Remzi Yağcı, a bust was found in the area known as the columned road. The excavation team evaluated that the bust had been underground for 1700 years and that the person depicted in the bust could have been a member of the aristocratic-managerial class of the period. After the bust was unearthed, it was delivered to Mersin Archeology Museum. However, despite the passage of 5 years, the work was not taken into the exhibition hall.

Mezitli Municipal Council Member and archaeologist Ramazan Tokel brought up the fate of the bust in a statement he made on his social media account. “It’s been 5 years, why aren’t the works exhibited?” Tokel asked, “I invite the Mersin Museum Directorate, Mersin Provincial Directorate of Culture and all authorities regarding the issue to make a statement. Why are the two female statues found in 2017 and the 82-centimeter masterpiece bust, which was found in 2018 and entered the world literature in terms of workmanship and artistic quality, still not taking their place in the center of the museum, even though 4-5 years have passed since they were found? “The public of Mersin wants to see these magnificent works in the museum,” he said.