A nearly complete marble statue of Roman Emperor Hadrian has been reconstructed from fragments recovered at the ancient city of Kibyra in southwestern Turkey. The 2.14-meter sculpture depicts Hadrian in military dress, with reliefs of a lion and an eagle decorating his armour.
The discovery was made during excavations led by Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University as part of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Legacy for the Future Project. Restoration was completed in 2026 by the excavation and conservation team under the supervision of Professor Ünal Demirer of the university’s Gölhisar Vocational School.
The statue’s portrait head, described by the excavation team as well preserved, was found during recent work at Kibyra’s Monumental Entrance Gate. Researchers joined it to an armoured torso discovered in an earlier phase of excavation, allowing much of the sculpture to be reconstructed. According to excavation head Professor Şükrü Özüdoğru, the head’s portrait features provide firm evidence that the figure represents Hadrian.
Researchers believe the statue was produced around AD 130, during Hadrian’s reign from AD 117 to 138. The sculpture was carved from high-quality marble identified as originating from the Afyon-Döğer and İscehisar areas of Turkey. Its substantial survival is considered particularly significant because relatively few largely complete statues of Hadrian are known from Anatolia.
Fragments from three other marble sculptures were also identified. One is believed to represent Empress Sabina, Hadrian’s wife, while the others include an approximately 1.86-meter armoured imperial figure, a female statue preserved in separate torso sections, and a male portrait head about 30 centimeters high. Around 20 sculptural fragments, including arms, legs and feet, have been recovered from the area across different excavation phases.
The location and dating of the statues have raised the possibility that they were commissioned in anticipation of an imperial visit. However, Özüdoğru said there is no documentary evidence that Hadrian personally visited Kibyra.
Archaeologists believe the sculptures may have fallen from the upper part of the gateway during a major earthquake in AD 417, scattering fragments around the structure. Excavation of the gate began in 2025, and about 2,500 stone blocks have been moved, documented and classified. Further work is planned before restoration of the monument. Once conservation is complete, the four sculptures are expected to be assembled and displayed at the Burdur Museum.
