Police in Greece are investigating the discovery of a 2,000-year-old statue in a black bag near some trash cans in a suburban municipality in the Thessaloniki region on Saturday.

An unnamed 32-year-old man found the bag containing the headless, limbless statue and brought it to police in Thermaikos.

An archaeologist determined that the statue, which dates to the Hellenistic period between 320 and 30 B.C., was protected under Greek law, and the piece was seized by police specializing in protecting the country’s cultural heritage, the national Hellenic Police said Wednesday in a news release.

Police temporarily held a man for questioning about who could have dumped the statue, but he was released without being charged, The Associated Press reported.

The 31-inch-tall statue will be sent to a laboratory for further examination and then will be kept in the custody of Greek antiquities officials.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.