The marble head of an Amazon warrior has emerged from a volcanic rock on Mount Vesuvius, with traces of colored makeup still intact.
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| Eye of the Amazon warrior. (Photo: Discovery) |
Buried during a catastrophic eruption 2,000 years ago that engulfed Pompeii and the neighboring towns of Herculaneum and Stabiae, the painted half-figure statue was discovered in a cliff near the Basilica courthouse in Herculaneum.
The newly found head belongs to a group of sculptures that adorned the Basilica. Seventeen years before the volcanic eruption, the Basilica had also been nearly completely destroyed and was subsequently rebuilt by Governor Marcus Nonius Balbus.
The site was excavated in the 18th century when the entire town of Herculaneum was accidentally discovered while digging a well. The statues were restored but lost all their original color.
With her hair and face painted, the Amazon woman stands as one of the few remaining examples of colored Roman statues. Although her nose and mouth are missing, her hair, pupils, and eyelashes retain their vibrant orange-red color.
This temple complex is linked to the legend of Hercules. “The statue may symbolize Hercules’ ninth labor, which was to obtain the belt of the Amazon queen Hippolyta,” said Jane Thompson, director of the Herculaneum conservation project.
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