Making headlines around the world today is a story of a lost marble head that has spent the past 1700 years in sewer sludge underneath Trajan's Forum in Rome. The head is said to be that of Constantine the Great, who reigned from 306 to 337 AD and is famous for legalizing Christianity.
Sceintists believe the head may have been deliberately dropped into the sewer to divert water from a drain or could have been the result of short-lived anti-Constantine riots.
The image of Constantine the Great is widely recognizable as a result of the monumental head, partial arm and severed hand in marble that are displayed outside the Capitoline Museum in Rome (see picture). The newly discovered head is of Carrara marble, in surprisingly good shape, and measures about 2-feet in length. It appears to be earlier than its monumental cousin, probably sculpted between 312 and 325 AD, according to reports.
The features of the face and expression have led to speculation that the head may have been attached to a statue of the emperor depicting him in the stylized glory of full armor at the time of his triumphant return to Rome after defeating his rival Maxentius in battle in 312 AD.
The find is exciting as it adds another dimension to the corpus of identifiable imperial Roman sculpture. After brief conservation work, the head will debut to the public September 17 at Rome's White Night celebrations. For story and photo.
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