Exquisite statue of ‘Gladiator’ Roman emperor dug up in Turkey after 2,000 years underground

Blast from the past: The 3ft-tall head of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius

Archaeologists have discovered an exquisite marble statue of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The emperor, who ruled between 161 and 180 AD, was portrayed by Richard Harris in the film Gladiator.

The statue’s 3ft-tall head, 5ft-long right arm and huge lower legs were found at the ancient city of Sagalassos in Turkey.

Belgian Professor Marc Waelkens, who is leading the dig, said its eyes gaze upwards ‘as if in deep contemplation, perfectly fitting of an emperor who was more of a philosopher than a soldier’.

The statue was found in the largest room at Sagalassos’s Roman baths which is believed to have been a ‘frigidarium’, a room with a cold pool which Romans would sink into after a hot bath.

Archaeologists have been excavating the frigidarium for 12 years and enormous sculptures of Hadrian, his wife Vibia Sabina, emperor Antoninus Pius, his wife Faustina the Elder and Marcus Aurelius are all thought to have adorned the 13,500sq ft room.

The gigantic right foot of the Roman emperor and philosopher is revealed

Pieces of history: The huge lower legs of the statue see daylight for the first time in 2,000 years

Fame: Richard Harris(left) playing emperor Marcus Aurelius in the film Gladiator