An ancient marble bust has been found at the bottom of Italy’s Lake Nemi. Archeologists suggest the object may have once lived on a ship built by the Roman Emperor Caligula two millennia ago. The stone head was discovered during a routine dredging of the volcanic lake overseen by the Municipal Civil Protection of Nemi, and has since been handed over to experts for analysis.
The city has yet to confirm details about 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 world’s great underwater archeological sites. It was there that, in the 1st century C.E., two ornate ships commissioned by Caligula sunk, filling the lakebed with timbers, tarred wool, marbles, and mosaics, among other trappings.
