The 'Goddess of Beauty' Shining Even in Mud... Statue Resembling Venus Discovered

Presumed Built During the Roman Empire's First Emperor Era
Ancient Artifacts Still Discovered in Italy Today

A marble sculpture of the head of the goddess of love and beauty, 'Venus (Aphrodite in Greek mythology),' was discovered in Rome, Italy.

On the 7th (local time), according to CNN, Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, posted a photo of a marble head covered in mud on Twitter. Along with the photo, he stated, "An intact marble head was found at Augusto Imperator Square," and added, "Archaeologists and restorers are busy restoring and studying this discovery."

Marble statue discovered in Rome, Italy.
[Photo by Sovrintendenza on Twitter]

This artifact was found during the 'Augustus Emperor Mausoleum and Square Redevelopment' project. It is estimated to have been created during the era of Augustus (63 BC?AD 14), the first emperor of ancient Rome, over 2,000 years ago.

Regarding this artifact, Claudio Parisi Presicce, who manages Rome's cultural heritage, explained in a statement that the artifact is "likely a statue of a female deity such as Venus," and "although it was found in the wall of an ancient building, it remains intact and shows an elegant hairstyle with hair pulled back by a ribbon (tenia) tied at the top of the head."

Presicce added, "The artifact was reused as building material, which fortunately preserved this important work of art," and noted, "The practice of reusing sculptures with significant value was very common in the late Middle Ages."

A fragment of the face of Aphrodite unearthed, posted on Twitter by Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome.
[Photo by Sovrintendenza on Twitter]

The artifact is currently being cleaned by restoration experts, and archaeologists have been commissioned to verify its identity and conduct dating analysis. Additionally, the local archaeological community plans to continue research to restore the statue and determine its precise production date.

Meanwhile, ancient artifacts are still frequently discovered in Rome. In January, a statue of Heracles, believed to have been made during the Roman Empire era, was excavated during repairs to the sewage system.