2,000-year-old Greek marble statue found discarded in the trash, police say
The sculpture dates back to the Hellenistic period between 323 B.C. and 31 B.C.
Authorities in Greece are investigating after a 2,000-year-old marble statue was discovered wrapped in a trash bag and discarded among garbage bins this week.
Police in Thessaloniki, the second-largest Greek city after Athens, said a 32-year-old man handed the statue over to authorities after allegedly finding it Saturday evening.
The white marble sculpture, which is missing a head and arms, appears to depict a woman's torso draped in a loose dress or cloak.

Police said an archaeologist with the Ephorate of Antiquities -- an archaeological unit in Greece that manages and protects ancient artifacts -- examined the statue, determining it dates back to the Hellenistic period between 323 B.C. and 31 B.C.
This time period is marked by the death of Alexander the Great and the conquest of Egypt by Rome and saw the spread of Greek culture into other populations, according to Britannica.
Police said in a press release Wednesday that the statue was seized by officers from the Cultural Heritage Protection Office, who are investigating the discarded figure for potential illegal artifact trafficking.
The ancient monument will be sent to the Forensic Investigations Sub-Directorate of Northern Greece to be further examined in a laboratory before eventually being safeguarded by the Ephorate of Antiquities, police said.