Unearthed: a monument to the might of Hadrian

As ruler of the Roman Empire in a time of relative peace and prosperity, he was lauded for his military nous and patronage of the arts. Now, after one of the most exhilarating archaeological discoveries of recent times, Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus - popularly known as Hadrian - new life has been breathed into his reputation through a discovery made on a mountaintop in south-central Turkey.

Excavators have unearthed a head, foot, and part of a leg from a statue that, pieced together, might have stood up to 5 metres tall. Elegantly carved, the parts offer tantalising clues about the completed statue of the man who gave his name to Hadrian's Wall. Intricate details on a sandal carved on to the foot suggest that the main body may be dressed in military garb.

Aside from a broken nose, the head of the statue is almost completely intact, measuring 70cm (27in) long. The piece of leg, which extends from above the knee to the top of the ankle, also measures 70cm (27in) long. The foot is 80cm (31.5in) long.

The hunt is now on for other body parts. Thought to date from the early part of Hadrian's reign, archaeologists believe the statue was originally composed of separate pieces, which were welded together to create an imposing monument of the ruling emperor intended to symbolise his military dominance in the region.

Buried about 5 metres underground, the remains were found among ruins of a bathhouse in the ancient town of Sagalassos, in southern Turkey. The region is thought to have suffered a major earthquake between the late sixth and early seventh centuries, during which the bathhouse fell. Archaeologists believe the statue may have split into its constituent parts, which they hope will be deeper in the soil.

Hadrian was emperor from AD117 until AD138, ruling over one of the more peaceful periods in the turbulent history of Roman imperialism. Born AD76 into a wealthy family in Italica, close to the city of Seville in today's Spain, he was the third of "five good emperors", so-called by 18th century historian Edward Gibbon because they "governed by absolute power, under the guidance of wisdom and virtue".

The emperor often consolidated Rome's power by erecting permanent fortifications along the Empire's border. One such was Hadrian's Wall, built AD122 to prevent incursions from Caledonian tribes. Built across northern England, it extended west from Segedunum at Wallsend on the river Tyne to the Solway Firth, for a length of 73.5 miles.

The discovery was made by archaeologists from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, who have been excavating the area around Sagalassos from 1990.

Marc Waelkens, director of the excavation, said: "As a kind of thanks to the emperor, there were private and public monuments to Hadrian erected throughout the city".

His team also found a segment from a gilded bronze statue of the emperor, almost certainly paid for by one of Sagalassos's wealthiest families.