Roman Busts Found in Wine Vat Near Caesarea

Two marble protomes from the Roman empire, dating back 1,700 years, were discovered inside an empty wine vat at an ancient villa near the Mediterranean coast of Israel. The busts, each nearly two feet tall and weighing 132 pounds, were found on the final day of an excavation clearing space for a high-speed railway. One bears the inscription 'Lycurgus,' possibly referring to the founder of Sparta or a fourth-century B.C.E. Athenian orator. The other depicts a bearded figure, likely a philosopher. The villa, built during the Byzantine era (fifth–seventh centuries C.E.), may have belonged to a wealthy resident of Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judaea established in 6 C.E. Archaeologists hypothesize the sculptures were hidden due to regional conflict or theft. They will be displayed this summer at Tel Aviv's MUZA Eretz Israel Museum before conservation.