Marble Head of Venus Found on Alicante Beach
Workers excavating a trench on a beach in Alicante, Spain, discovered a well-preserved 2,000-year-old marble head of the Roman goddess Venus. The artifact, weighing 14 kg and measuring 22.2 cm in height, was found during a coastal beautification project and is now being studied at the Museum of Modern Art in Alicante.
Consensus
- A marble head of the Roman goddess Venus was found during earthworks on a beach in Alicante, Spain.
- The artifact is approximately 2,000 years old and dates to the I–II century CE.
- The head was discovered by workers who were laying a trench as part of a coastal beautification project.
- The workers stopped work immediately upon discovery and reported the find to archaeologists.
- The head was in good condition, with minor damage to the nose and chin and faint traces of two bolts at the top.
- The head is not a standalone bust but a fragment of a full-sized statue.
- The artifact weighs 14 kg, is 22.2 cm tall, and 19.8 cm wide.
- Experts from the Museum of Modern Art in Alicante are studying and cleaning the artifact.
- The artifact will be displayed to the public by the end of the year.
- The city's mayor has declared the Venus of Alicante a new historical symbol of the city.
Points of divergence
- The head was found during routine works on the coastline near the popular La Almadraba beach. — kommersant
- The head was made from Carrara marble, indicating it belonged to a wealthy individual. — kommersant
- The trench where the head was found was later filled with concrete, preventing further archaeological investigation. — kommersant
- Previous archaeological findings near the site include remains of a luxurious Roman villa from the period 3rd century BCE to 4th century CE, along with coins and ceramics. — kommersant
- The head was found in a trash bag in Greece earlier, but this is a different artifact; the one in Alicante is unrelated. — vm
- The head was identified as belonging to the Hellenistic period (320–30 BCE), which conflicts with the I–II century CE dating from other sources. — vm
- A fragment of a statue of the Greek goddess Artemis was found in Bulgaria, but this is unrelated to the Venus discovery in Alicante. — m24
Coverage (4 sources)
- Head of a 2,000-year-old Venus statue found on a beach in Alicante — Коммерсантъ
- Head of the Venus statue, about two thousand years old, found on Spanish beach — Вечерняя Москва
- On the beach in Alicante found a marble head of Venus that had lain in the ground for almost two millennia — Фонтанка
- Marble head of the Venus statue, about 2000 years old, found on a beach in Spain — Москва 24