Head of Alexander found in Italy

 The news, apparently, did not make headlines.

As I watched a documentary on National Geographic, I was introduced to the city of Terracina, where archaeologists are tracing the rise and coming to power of Rome. 

After a detour about the Roman conquest of Carthage, illustrated by the discovery of a ship’s ram near the Egadi Islands, I was taken to the site of Terracina, which was unknown to me. It is located about halfway between Rome and Naples on the ancient Via Appia. 

The modern city steadily stands among and on top of the ancient one. An excellent example to this effect is the old Forum, with its exposed, near-intact pavement. The marble slabs are being trodden by the feet of the tourists, often unaware of the imprint of the bronze inscription left by the local Roman magistrate, Aulus Aemilius. He rebuilt and paved the Forum, enhancing the place with porches and new civil and religious buildings. Amazingly, the Via Appia runs right alongside the Forum. 

On the cliff high above the city proper stood a most remarkable small Hellenistic temple from the 2^nd century BC. It is considered to be the oldest Hellenistic structure of its kind and the first terraced temple in the region. Archaeologists have not yet been able to define to which god it was dedicated. 

Its presence proves that Terracina was in close contact with other Hellenistic cities around the Mediterranean at a time when the Romans had not yet conquered all of Italy. 

The hill is nowadays known as Monte Sant’Angelo, maybe in memory of the religious ceremonies that were held here. 

In 2021, the surprise find was a terracotta head that shared the familiar traits of Alexander the Great. It is not clear whether it was unearthed in the little temple or the larger area of the sanctuary. 

We may safely assume that the presence of Alexander makes sense. After its victory over Carthage, Rome conquered Alexander’s homeland in the 2^nd century BC. In the process, it established itself as the new military power of the ancient Mediterranean world. Alexander’s deeds and conquests had served as Rome’s role model.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get hold of a picture of this newly discovered Alexander head – maybe later?

[First picture from Following Hadrian; third picture from Archaeologywiki]