Construction Crew Finds 2,000-Year-Old Roman Bust at Spanish Beach
A team of excavators in Spain discovered an incredible piece of history while working along Almadraba Beach in Alicante, Spain. New York Post reported Thursday.
Workers were focused on their regeneration project when they unearthed a 2,000-year-old marble Roman bust believed to date back to the first or second century. It was incredibly well preserved and its beauty had barely been altered after so long.
The outlet noted that the coin could depict the goddess Venus and that an image showed the artifact with its slightly damaged nose, chin and lip:
It was typical of busts found in Roman patrician homes, according to the Olive Press.
Alicante Cultural Councilor Nayma Beldjilali said: “This is a Roman head of great artistic quality and in an excellent state of conservation which, according to experts, probably represented Venus. This could be one of the most important discoveries ever made of a Roman sculpture in the province of Alicante.”
Beldjilali also said that a Roman villa had already been discovered in this area, adding that the recently discovered bust teams may have been placed in the house of a prominent Roman citizen.
The coin is currently undergoing testing to confirm its authenticity.
“According to officials, the bust probably dates from the High Imperial Roman period, a time when Roman influence extended very widely,” Job article read.
In 2022, another ancient Roman bust was discovered in Texas after an art dealer purchased it at a Goodwill store for $34.99, Breitbart News reported.
According to the Canonbury Antiques website, “Roman busts represent a form of portraiture in which artists made the human head and part of the chest. This art form originated in ancient Egypt but was perfected in ancient Greece. Through busts, artists recorded the most distinctive features of the personalities of the time.”
“When they took over this art, the Romans took it a step further by using it to show respect in ceremonies and to represent family members. The Romans cared very much about family lineage and did not hesitate to show respect to their ancestors,” we can read on the site.
