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 1st decade of the 3rd
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.
The image presented in the
article has been released by the Culture Ministry of France on Tuesday, May 13,
2008. It illustrates the marble bust of Caesar, presumably dated back to 46 BC.
(AP Photo/Culture Ministry, C. Chary/HO)