Roman ruler's head found in sewer

LAST WEEK...it was four Papal seals found inside ancient German lavatory. NOW:


Roman ruler's head found in sewer


The emperor is credited with helping to establish Christianity in Europe


A 1,700-year-old carved marble head of Emperor Constantine has been found in a sewer in central Rome.

Archaeologists found the 60cm (2ft) head while clearing an ancient drainage system in the ruins of the Roman Forum.

Eugenio La Rocca, superintendent of Rome's artefacts, described the head as a rare find and said it was possible it had been used to clear a blocked sewer.

Constantine, who reigned from 306 to 337, is known for ending persecution of Christians and founding Constantinople.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4727391.stm

HONEST. It wasn't me....

Sure, people are always using ancient rare archaeological artefacts to unblock the S-bend after a particularly heavy night....

Maybe that's why the Brits are hanging on to them Elgin Marbles....

"get your head out of the toilet" perhaps :shrug:

"We have concluded that the head did not fall by accident into the passage, but was put there on purpose.

"It could have been used as a big piece of stone to divert water from the drain, or it could have been put there to symbolise the resentment of a pagan people for their Christian emperor."

The head's unceremonious insertion in the drain may have saved it from the plundering of the Forum after the fall of the Roman empire in the 5th Century.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4727391.stm