Farmer discovers 2,000-year-old Hermes statuette in Turkey’s Çorum

A farmer from Turkey's central Çorum province found a 2,000-year-old statuette dating back to the Roman period while working in the field, a report said Tuesday.

The unidentified farmer discovered the statuette of Greek god Hermes nearly six months ago, İhlas News Agency (İHA) reported.

Following the discovery, the man handed it over to the Çorum Archeological Museum, where it was renovated and added to the museum's collection.

According to the report, the farmer was later rewarded in accordance with Turkey's Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets, which aims to prevent smuggling of historical artifacts and preservation of cultural assets.

Çorum Museum Director Önder İpek said people occasionally bring various ancient artifacts after accidentally finding them while working in the fields or during picnics.

"Citizens sometimes hand over the artifacts they come across. When they bring them to the museum, a payment is made by our government to prevent smuggling. We encourage our citizens bring any historical artifacts they find to the museum," İpek said.

Hermes is known as the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, thieves and travelers.