In Rome, work to restore a sewer line in Parco Scott had to be stopped recently, as a life-size statue of Hercules was found during the recovery of the local. Discover more about the statue of Hercules found in the sewers of Rome.
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In Rome, a small hole can become a real archeology expedition. It is common in the Roman city that public works have to be interrupted due to discoveries of past treasures.
In the Parco Scott region, during the renovation of a 20 meter deep sewage pipe, what is believed to be a representation of Emperor Decius Trajan dressed as the mythological demigod Hercules.
The statue was found in the Parco Scott area, Park Archaeological on the Via Appia Antica. Even if the stratigraphic data have not yet been identified, such as the dating of the piece, the good condition that the statue was located allowed iconographic comparisons that led to the identification of the image of Emperor Decius Trajan.
According to the official statement, although the face of the statue shows wear due to the effect of time, the identification of the “wrinkles of anxiety” typical of Décio’s official portraits, as well as peculiar traits, such as beard, eyes, nose and mouth, allowed the identification of the part.
How was it identified that the portrayal of the play was about Hercules?
The communication team explained:
“The first iconographic comparisons led us to identify the character dressed as Hercules as the emperor Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius, more known as Decius Trajan, who reigned between the years 249 and 251 of the common era, when he was murdered, together with his son Herenio Etrusco, in the Battle of Abritus, between Goths and Romans.”
The association of the statue to Hercules was made considering that the statue depicts the skin of a lion dressed over the figure's head. In mythology, the first of the twelve works of Hercules was to kill the Nemean Lion and, after the feat, the hero extracted the animal's leather with his own hands and started to use the skin as a protective cloak.
According to the report by archaeologist Jane Draycott, the discovery of the statue, which after being found was sent for cleaning and restoration work on the piece, it was “a pleasant surprise in the midst of sewage".
