Turkish police seized a bronze statuette supposedly dating back to the Roman era, during regular traffic control in southern Adana city.

According to media reports, the historical find is a statuette of Artemis - the goddess of chastity, the hunt, the moon, and the natural environment in Greek mythology.

The driver of the car Yaşar Bayram K. was taken into custody by the police, despite claiming that he received the statuette from some children who found it accidentally.

"I didn't know it's something important, I planned to use it as a decoration in my house," he said.

The statuette has been transferred to Directorate of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime.

Museum officials will reportedly conduct further research on the historical artifact, which is covered with bronze and gold.

The Roman Empire period began when Augustus Caesar (27 BCE-14 CE) became the first emperor of Rome and ended, in the west, when the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was deposed by the Germanic King Odoacer (476 CE).

At its height, it was the most extensive political and social structure in the western civilization.