An ancient marble bust was found at the bottom of Lake Nemi in Italy. Archaeologists suggest the object may have once lived on a ship built by Roman Emperor Caligula two millennia ago.
The stone head was discovered during a routine dredging of the volcanic lake supervised by the municipal civil protection of Nemi, and has since been handed over to experts for analysis.
The city has yet to confirm details of the sculpture, including its age, but you can’t blame outsiders for speculating on its historical significance.
Located just south of Rome, Lake Nemi is one of the largest underwater archaeological sites in the world. It was here that in the 1st century CE, two ornate ships commanded by Caligula sank, filling the lake bed with wood, tarred wool, marbles and mosaics, among other ornaments.
For generations, locals knew of the existence of the sunken ships, but it wasn’t until the late 1920s and 1930s, when Benito Mussolini ordered the lakes drained, that they were removed. The director had the ships’ remains placed in a museum, but the site burned down in a World War II bombardment.
Artifacts from the ships have been continuously recovered from the body of water ever since. One of these pieces, a mosaic designed for a dance floor, was returned to Italy in 2021 after being used as a coffee table in a New York apartment for 45 years.
Like many details of Caligula’s reign, the exact purpose of the two ships is unknown. Some believe they had religious significance, as Lake Nemi was once considered sacred. Both were elaborate, but one is thought to be truly opulent, a floating palace filled with silken veils, fountains and plumbed bathrooms.
It is not yet known if the recently discovered marble bust was one of the decorations of this ship.
Nemi Mayor Alberto Bertucci told Italian news agency Dire that he “hopes this discovery will shed new light on the history of Caligula and its legacy, allowing the secrets hidden in the depths of Lake Nemi”.
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