REMA INS of a beautifully carved 15-foot sculpture of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius have been discovered at an archaeological dig in Turkey. The colossal statue was uncovered from a Roman-era bath in Salagassos, western Turkey, that had been covered in rubble since an earthquake in the seventh century. A giant marble head with bulging eyes characteristic of Aurelius was dug up as well as the lower legs and a right hand holding up a globe. The statue was partially destroyed when the chamber, located high in the Turkish mountains, was filled with debris from the earthquake between 540AD and 620AD. Aurelius, who reigned between 161 AD and 180 AD was heralded as the last of the five so called "good emperors". As well as an emperor Aurelius' was an accomplished writer heralded as one of the most prominent 'stoic' philosophers. The huge depiction was discovered half way down in the rubble of the cold bath known as a frigidarium. The emperor is wearing exquisitely carved army boots decorated with a lion skin, tendrils and Amazon shields. Archaeologists lead by Belgian professor Marc Waelkens from the Catholic university of Louvain discovered the giant hand and huge pair of legs last week. But it wasn't until the later unearthing of the head that it became clear who the body parts belonged to. The discovery was made as part of wider excavations at the ruined city, which was once an important regional centre. The remains of an equally large statue of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who ruled between 117 and 138 AD, were found earlier at this site.               "  Sky News