June 24, 2009 -- Archaeologists have unearthed a hoard of ancient Roman treasures, including a marble head of the Roman emperor Titus, during an excavation outside the southern Italian city of Naples. The long-term digging effort in Rione Terra, a cliff in the port town of Pozzuoli, has yielded remains of 12 ancient statues, columns and fragments bearing inscriptions from what appear to be monuments from the Republican and Imperial periods of ancient Roman history. Among the most striking finds was the marble head of Emperor Titus, who ruled at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. and who was celebrated throughout antiquity for providing generous financial assistance to survivors of the eruption. Bearing a crown of laurel leaves, the emperor's head was found in an ancient water tunnel. It was in good company. Nearby there were four marble busts: a frieze portraying two human figures, two figures wearing a toga, and part of an equestrian statue.
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Archaeologists also discovered the head of an Amazon warrior, the head of a woman depicted as a Roman empress from the late Julio-Claudian dynasty and a giant mask depicting a Gorgon. Gorgons were female mythological beasts whose appearance would turn anyone who laid eyes upon them to stone. "Unlike many ancient buildings in the town, which date back to Pozzuoli's golden age in the first century A.D., these marbles date to the 2nd century AD. They belong to public buildings and houses and show that even after the rule of Emperor Augustus, this remained a wealthy town," chief archaeologist Costanza Gialanella told Discovery News. Known to Italians as the birthplace of movie star Sophia Loren, Pozzuoli was once among the major trading ports of the Mediterranean, called Puteoli. Replaced by Ostia as the main trading port of Rome in the second century A.D., the town began to decline in the following centuries. In 1538, the eruption of Monte Nuovo swallowed up the nearby village of Tripergole and scared away Pozzuoli's population. This gave the Spanish, who at that time ruled the kingdom of Naples, the opportunity to build a new city, in their own style, on top of the ancient Puteoli. Repopulated, Pozzuli was again abandoned in 1970, when seismic activity of the Phlegraean Fields volcanic area caused the ground to rise and fall. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
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