Una nuova testa di Ares dal Campo Marzio

Abstract

In 2012, a slightly larger-than-life head made of white marble was found in the basement walls of a house near Via Coronari at Rome, together with fragments of a marble cornice, probably from Hadrian’s mausoleum. The shape of the Attic helmet adorned with griffins and the short hair point to Ares despite certain similarities to images of Athena Parthenos. The execution suggests an origin in the second quarter of the 2nd century A.D. Till now, no exact copy is known, but generally there are references to various images of Ares in that time, which often use elements of the severe style. There is no context, but the head was probably intended for a lime kiln in the region. Originally it could have belonged to Hadrian’s Mausoleum.