腓立比发现的阿波罗大理石头像庆祝城市遗产

在腓立比发现的希腊神阿波罗的大理石头像。照片：希腊文化部。

Marble head of Apollo has been discovered by Greek archaeologists. The excavations took place in Philippi, northwest Greece. The head, which dates back to the second or third century C.E., depicts a handsome young man with curls and his typical laurel crown. Archaeologists say these distinctive features identify him as the Greek deity of music and archery.

希腊考古学家发现了阿波罗的大理石头像。发掘工作在希腊西北部的腓立比进行。这尊头像的历史可以追溯到公元二世纪或三世纪，描绘了一位英俊的年轻男子，留着卷发，头戴典型的月桂冠。考古学家说，这些独特的特征使他成为希腊音乐和射箭之神。

阿波罗的大理石头像庆祝了城市的文化遗产腓立比正在挖掘的遗址的航拍照片。照片：希腊文化部。

A group of fifteen students led by Natalia Poulos, a professor of Byzantine Archaeology, discovered it in late 2023. This team continues University of Thessaloniki work, ongoing at Philippi since the 1960s. The Apollo statue’s intended purpose upon carving would have been devotional. But researchers think that given its current location, it was likely converted during the Middle Ages.

由拜占庭考古学教授 Natalia Poulos 领导的 15 名学生小组于 2023 年末发现了它。该小组继续塞萨洛尼基大学自 1960 年代以来在腓立比开展的工作。阿波罗雕像的雕刻目的是虔诚的。但研究人员认为，鉴于其目前的位置，它很可能在中世纪被改建。

Also, that it stood as one of the many decorations in a fountain in the town square. Based on the finding of a coin featuring Emperor Leo VI, scholars propose that the area had been occupied from the eighth or ninth century. Apollo did not hold any lasting symbolic significance in Christian Philippi, in contrast to other Greek gods.

此外，它也是城镇广场喷泉中众多装饰品之一。根据发现的一枚印有利奥六世皇帝头像的硬币，学者们推测该地区从八世纪或九世纪起就已被占领。与其他希腊神相比，阿波罗在基督教腓立比中没有任何持久的象征意义。

腓立比希腊神的头颅。照片：希腊文化部。

It appears that statues from the Greek and Roman eras seemed used to decorate public areas and structures as late as the Byzantine era (approximately the 13th to 15th century). Also, the statue’s existence probably denotes an appreciation of the city’s ongoing cultural heritage as well as of superb artistry. The head this god came to light east of the Philippi’s major southern road, where it meets the northern axis of the city.

希腊和罗马时代的雕像似乎一直被用来装饰公共区域和建筑，直到拜占庭时代（大约 13 世纪至 15 世纪）。此外，这座雕像的存在可能代表了对这座城市持续文化遗产和精湛艺术的欣赏。这位神的头像在腓立比河南部主要道路以东的地方显现出来，这里与城市的北轴线相交。

Same Location for Discovered Hercules Statue

发现赫拉克勒斯雕像的同一位置在希腊发现的赫拉克勒斯雕像。图片由希腊体育文化部提供

Recent excavation efforts progressively exposed a square full of elaborately decorated houses. At the location last year, researchers found a statue of Hercules that they think also belonged to the fountain. The statue, which was mostly undamaged, showed a young, robust Hercules holding a lion and a club in his hands.

最近的挖掘工作逐渐暴露了一个充满精心装饰的房屋的广场。去年，研究人员在该地点发现了一尊大力神雕像，他们认为该雕像也属于喷泉。这座雕像大部分未受损，雕像上是一位年轻、健壮的大力士，手里拿着一头狮子和一根棍棒。

Alexander the Great‘s father, King Philip II of Macedonia, established Philippi in 356 BCE. Because of its location on the Via Egnatia, a route that connected Europe and Asia, it increased in riches and notoriety. Its significance persisted throughout the Roman era, when it hosted the pivotal conflict between Brutus and Cassius’ and Mark Antony’s and Octavian’s armies.

亚历山大大帝的父亲马其顿国王腓力二世于公元前 356 年建立了腓立比。由于它位于连接欧洲和亚洲的艾格纳提亚大道上，它的财富和名声都在增加。它的重要性贯穿了整个罗马时代，当时布鲁图斯和卡西乌斯、马克·安东尼和屋大维的军队之间的关键冲突就在这里发生。

图片由希腊体育文化部提供

It became an important early Christian site following the visit of Apostle Paul in the 1st century C.E. Archaeological work began in Philippi in the first decades of the 20th century. The University of Thessaloniki excavations are set to continue later this year.

公元 1 世纪使徒保罗到访后，它成为重要的早期基督教遗址。20 世纪头几十年，腓立比开始了考古工作。塞萨洛尼基大学的发掘工作将于今年晚些时候继续进行。