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Colossal marble statue excavated by Lady Stanhope and Dr. Meryon at Ashkelon. Although lacking its head, this statue stood seven feet tall and was the first Greco-Roman artifact excavated in the Holy Land. Meryon was overjoyed by the find, but Lady Hester did not share his enthusiasm. Afraid she might be accused of seeking antiquities to send to England, she ordered him to break the statue “in a thousand pieces.” Someone (the governor of Jaffa has been suggested) invented a story that the chest of the statue had been full of gold. This rumor has persisted to the present day and has led to the maligning of Lady Stanhope’s intentions.