Wine God Dionysus’ 2,000-Year-Old Marble Head Unearthed In Rome

• The 2,000-year-old marble head was excavated in the heart of Rome.
• The marble head of the Greek god dates back to the Imperial era.
• The head had hollow eyes, which are believed to be filled with precious stones

Archaeologists have just uncovered a marble head belonging to Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility (also Bacchus to Romans) in Rome. Believed to be 2,000 years old, the giant white marble head was excavated last week near an ancient Roman Forum, according to The Telegraph.

Experts have found that the marble figure’s eyes were hollow, which could mean that precious stones or glass once filled them. Archaeologists also said that the head had been used as part of a wall sometime in the medieval era.

The marble head is believed to be made between 1st century BC and 2nd century AD.

Experts described the face as “refined and gracious, young and feminine,” which likely depicts the god himself. In their statement, the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum said:

“The archaeologists were excavating a late medieval wall when they saw, hidden in the earth, a white marble head. It was built into the wall, and had been recycled as a building material, as often happened in the medieval era. Extracted from the ground, it revealed itself in all its beauty.”

Claudio Parisi Presicce, director of archaeological museums in Rome, said that the marble head still needs to be given a thorough clean as the surface is not “completely visible.” Presicce believes that the marble head could still reveal traces of the original color around its hair.

The marble head will be thoroughly cleaned and later put on display.

In a tweet, Virginia Raggi, mayor of Rome, said it’s a “marvel” that the marble head was found in great condition in the heart of the city.

Here are the first pictures of the finding of the head of a statue dating back to the Imperial era, which was discovered this morning in Rome during the excavations in the Imperial Fora area. Amazing indeed! https://t.co/Hq11PWPeUa pic.twitter.com/lhQA4Zos3K

— Virginia Raggi (@virginiaraggi) May 24, 2019

Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Semele and revered as the god of winemaking.

Dionysus was one of the important gods in the ancient Greeks. Apart from winemaking, he was also worshipped as the god of fertility, religious rituals and theatre in Greek mythology.