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Oldest Marble Bust of Caesar Discovered In France Dates to 46 B.C.

Published by green on May 14th, 2008 in

A marble bust of Julius Caesar has been recently discovered by the divers in the Rhone River. The Culture Ministry of France believes that the bust of the aging Roman Emperor might be the oldest ever known.

Scientists consider that the life-sized bust of the emperor, featuring wrinkles and hollows on his face is dated back to 46 BC. Along with the discovery of the bust of Caesar, drivers trained in archaeology were able to find a collection of many other ancient items in the Rhone, located near the town of Arles, which was founded by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar.

The other ancient finds include the marble statue of Neptune. The statue is 5.9 feet tall and is believed to date back to the 1^st decade of the 3^rd century BC. The divers also found two smaller statues made in bronze, each measuring 27.5 inches. One of the statues is a satyr, made with his hands tied behind his back. According to the ministry the statue was probably made in Hellenic Greece.

"Some (of the discoveries) are unique in Europe," outlined Culture Minister Christine Albanel. The statement of the ministry mentioned: "This marble bust of the founder of the Roman city of Arles constitutes the most ancient representation known today of Caesar." According to it, the statue "undoubtedly" dates to the erection of Arles in 46 B.C. In addition scientists look forward to uncover "in what context these statues were thrown into the river," mentioned Michel L'Hour, the head of the Department of Subaquatic Archaeological Research. It is worth mentioning that the divers of this department were the ones to discover the statues in the period between September and October 2007.

The finding was called "exceptional", especially taking into consideration that the bust of Caesar is the oldest representation of the Roman Emperor ever known.