Rome continues to bear priceless ancient gifts as archeologists recently made a remarkable find during excavations in the heart of the Italian capital, near the remains of the ancient Roman Forum.
Archaeologists in Rome have stumbled on a large marble head of Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, the ancient Roman god of wine, dance and fertility. The white marble bust, believed to be 2,000 years old, was discovered during excavations in the heart of the city, near the remains of the ancient Roman Forum.
“The archaeologists were excavating a late medieval wall when they saw, hidden in the earth, a white marble head,” said a statement from the Archaeological Park of the Coliseum, which encompasses the Roman Forum.
Interestingly enough, the ancient marble head had been incorporated into the wall as building material, in a medieval stab at recycling, but experts say it is in excellent condition. The head would have belonged to a large statue of the god dating back to between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE.
“The face is refined and gracious, young and feminine. All of which makes us think this could be a depiction of Dionysos,” said the archaeologists.
“The hollow eyes, which were probably filled with glass or precious stones, date it to the first centuries of the Roman Empire,” according to Claudio Parisi Presicce, director of Rome's archaeological museums.
“The surface is not completely visible because we haven't yet given it a thorough clean. We think that there could still be traces of the original colour conserved in the band around the hair."
Dionysus was the ancient Greek god of wine, winemaking, grape cultivation, fertility, ritual madness, theater, and religious ecstasy. His Roman name was Bacchus. He may have been worshiped as early as 1500-11000 BCE by Mycenean Greeks.
He was worshiped by the ancient Greeks as one of the 12 Olympians before being incorporated into the Roman pantheon.
