Ancient Hercules Statue Discovered While Fixing Plumbing in Rome

A statue depicting the Roman mythological hero Hercules was discovered during pipe repairs on a famous street in Rome, Italy.

The head of a statue of Hercules excavated in Rome, Italy. (Photo: Parco Archeologico dell'Appia Antica).

The life-sized marble statue was discovered during repairs to collapsed water pipes that caused landslides on the Appian Way , a famous ancient road, the Guardian reported on January 27.

The statue dates back to the Roman Empire (27 BC to 476 AD). Based on the image of the figure holding a club and wearing a lion's hood, archaeologists were able to determine that the statue depicts Hercules, a demigod from ancient Rome.

Statue of Hercules excavated in Rome, Italy. (Photo: Parco Archeologico dell'Appia Antica).

The statue was partially broken during excavation, but the object was well preserved.

This is the second time the Appian Way has been in the news recently. On January 11, the Italian Ministry of Culture officially supported the nomination of the Appian Way for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

This road played an important role in both trade and military activities throughout Roman history. The Roman poet Statius called the Appian Way "the queen of the roads".

This is the first time the ministry has directly supported a UNESCO heritage nomination. If approved, the Appian Way – a 550km stretch from Rome to the southern city of Brindisi – would become the second longest world heritage site, after the Great Wall of China.

Previously, in November 2022, dozens of bronze statues dating back 2,300 years, older than the Hercules statue, were discovered in saunas in Tuscany, Italy.