In the form of Hercules.. Unearthing a statue of an emperor from the third century in Rome

Appia Antica archaeologist Francesca Romana Paolello said a life-size statue of a Roman emperor, in the guise of the legendary hero Hercules, was discovered during sewage repair work near the Appian Way, the first highway in ancient Rome.

She explained that the face of the statue first appeared when a bulldozer was destroying the old pipes to replace them with new ones, noting that when the face appeared, we immediately realized that it was a character dressed as Hercules.

The marble statue, which takes the form of Hercules, was discovered on January 25 in Scott Park, with frown lines on its forehead; Which is considered a distinctive sign of the emperors of the third century AD, in which the Roman Empire faced stormy crises.

Paolillo pointed out that the statue resembles Emperor Dakianos, who ruled Rome between 249 and 251 AD, adding that it is rare to find statues of Roman leaders in the form of Hercules.

Some parts of the statue were broken during its discovery by chance, and it is currently being cleaned and restored.

Dakianus is considered the first Roman emperor to die in a battle with the Goths – in what is now Bulgaria – and he was the first to practice organized persecution against Christians.