17 December 2008 | Three marble heads – a man’s, a woman’s and a boy’s, are the latest discovery resulting from the archaeological excavations of the ancient site of Stibera in the region of Prilep in central Macedonia.

Stibera is one of Macedonia’s biggest, most attractive and important antique towns. It is situated in the vicinity of the village of Čepigovo, near Prilep, and its remnants lay on the south slopes of the hill Bedem, where the stream Blato flows into the Crna Reka River.

The latest finds confirm that Stibera was a rich settlement, inhabited by 20,000 people between the third century BC and third century AD, Lilyana Kepeska of the Prilep Museum and Institute told media.

Until now, 31 marble statues have been excavated at the site – some are displayed at the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje and some are in front of the government in the capital. Earlier finds from this year’s archaeological work include marble statues of the goddess Nike, a boy named Efeb and a young woman.

In addition to the three marble heads, plaques were also found, bearing Greek letters in Latin alphabet, taken as proof that prominent citizens had lived in Stibera and that the province Macedonia was significant in the period between the second and third century AD.

The excavations at the site will resume in 2009, according to Kepeska. They are financed by 4.5 million Macedonian denars (around 80,000 euro) by the government and the Ministry of Culture.

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