Life-size statue of Hercules found on Appia Antica

During excavation work by Acea con Bacino sud SRL, which has had a construction site active for several months for a difficult overhaul and remediation of the sewer conduit, a life-size marble statue was found in the area of Parco Scott, between Cristoforo Colombo and Via Appia Antica, which, due to the presence of the club and the leontè, or lion skin covering its head, is identifiable with a personage in the guise of Hercules.

The Appia Antica Archaeological Park explains that “the area, valuable from a naturalistic point of view, is also an area ’of archaeological interest’: in fact, we are near the Sepulchre of Priscilla at the second mile of the Via Appia Antica, and the earthworks, which have reached a height of as much as 20 meters below ground level, have been constantly monitored by an archaeologist, coordinated by Park officials.”

"We have moved the find to one of our storage facilities and are looking into different hypotheses to reconstruct its provenance and dating," archaeologist official Francesca Romana Paolillo explained to Corriere della Sera.

The statue is in a good state of preservation and the base has also been found.

“The photos do not render its real size: when I saw it I was amazed,” Park Director Simone Quilici also commented to Corriere. "It probably depicts an important personality of the time. In Rome it is not uncommon to come across ancient artifacts, but in this case the feeling is that this is a particularly important find."

Photo: Appia Antica Archaeological Park

Life-size statue of Hercules found on Appia Antica

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