A piece of an ancient Greek marble statue has been recovered from the sea bed in the eastern Sicilian town of Taormina's harbour after the earlier discovery there of Roman and Byzantine anchors, archaeological officials said Thursday.
The high-quality piece of white marble measuring 25 centimetres and weighing 5 kilogrammes, is part of a life-sized male statue's left calf, the officials said.
The local archaeological superintendency has sent a team of divers to explore the surrounding area after the find dating from the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) .
Analysis of the marble chunk was due to be carried out to find out where it came from and its probable age, said the officials.
The ancient Roman anchor and one from the Byzantine era (330–1453 AD) recently retrieved from Taormina's harbour are currently on display in the Region of Sicily's museum in the nearby seaside resort of Naxos.
