Villa Site in Croatia Yields 1,800-Year-Old Statue Fragment

ZADAR, CROATIA—Total Croatia News reports that more than 860 square feet of marble flooring, a three-foot fragment of a statue of the Roman goddess Venus, and another piece that may have been the statue's base were uncovered at a construction site near Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. The fragment ranges from the goddess’ knees to below her chest and is thought to have stood on a pedestal in the atrium of an urban villa between the second and fourth centuries A.D. “We found a precious and rare statue, which will be known more after its cleaning and conservation,” said underwater archaeologist Smiljan Gluščević. Broken pieces of fingers on the statue’s legs may have belonged to a figure of the god Mercury, who was often shown with Venus, explained researcher Nenad Cambi. A sewage canal, a wall lined in gray marble tiles, and a black-and-white mosaic covering about 40 square feet were also found at the villa site. To read about a terracotta figurine of Venus that was found at France's ancient Roman city of Vienna, go to "A Day by the Rhone."