ROME, ITALY—A colossal marble head was uncovered beneath Rome’s Via Alessandrina, according to a report by the Greek Reporter. The discovery was made during archaeological work near the heart of the ancient city that is aimed at removing a modern section of road separating the forums of Augustus, Trajan, and Nerva. The statue head was embedded in a layer of medieval brick and mortar, which suggests that it had been reused as building material centuries after the fall of Rome. Archaeologists believe that the sculpture dates to the reign of Trajan (a.d. 98–117) and may have once stood in his forum near the Porticus Trisigmentata, a monumental colonnade with monolithic columns that stood 40 feet high. They have not yet identified who the male figure represents, but the facial features suggest he may be a god, a Roman dignitary, or possibly even the emperor himself. To read about a marble head of the god Dionysus recovered during the Via Alessandrina excavations, go to "A God Goes Shopping."
