2,000-Year-Old Marble Relic From the Temple of Olympian Zeus Recovered from Sicilian Seabed

While investigating the waters along the Italian coastline, divers from the Superintendency of the Sea for the region of Sicily discovered an ancient marble relic, possibly a segment from a statue in a Roman emperor's villa.

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The recently recovered artifact, a marble relief depicting a prancing horse, was submerged at a depth of approximately 30 feet, nearly 1,000 feet from the coast. Initially disregarded as a "tub" or "basin" due to low underwater visibility, a 2022 survey by BCsicilia, involving over 200 images digitally stitched into a 3D model, revealed its true identity.

Lo Cascio suggests it may have been designed for a larger-than-normal temple's tympanum, potentially linked to the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento. However, further research is needed to confirm this.

Using balloons, divers lifted the stone block from the seabed and transported it through a cave opening about 9 feet below the surface. The block, potentially from the ancient villa of Gradola located above the cave, was ferried to Capri for a thorough examination by archaeologists. It will undergo restoration and further analysis, providing insights into the island's historical connections.

The villa, associated with Roman Emperor Tiberius, who reigned from 14 to 37 A.D., is now in ruins. Tiberius, a remembered despotic recluse, spent the last decade of his reign residing on Capri, considering the island a "magical" retreat.

Sicily was initially settled by ancient Greek colonists in the 8th century B.C. and then later conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C. Other eroded marble artifacts have been retrieved from the Blue Grotto.

Reviving Ancient Splendor

Further exploration is required to reveal the true nature of the discovery, but experts speculate it might serve as an ornament for the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento, Sicily.

Alfonso Lo Cascio, BCsicilia's regional President, expressed that if the hypothesis of it being a frieze of the temple is confirmed after cleaning and restoration, it could represent the most significant archaeological find in Agrigento's last century.

Agrigento is renowned for the Akragas ruins, a city founded by Greek colonists in the 6th century B.C. Known as "the most beautiful city of mortals," Akragas played a crucial role in Magna Graecia, an area inhabited by Greek speakers along the southern Italian coast, as labeled by the Romans.

The city is famed for the Valley of the Temples, featuring well-preserved ancient Greek temples, including the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the largest Doric temple. Although its original structure is debated, experts estimate its dimensions as approximately 66 feet high, 370 feet in length, and 185 feet in width, with construction starting around 480 B.C.

Despite being known for several years, the artifact's significance had been overlooked until BCsicilia's survey, prompting the organization to report the find to the Superintendency of the Sea in 2022.

Lo Cascio speculates that the artifact may have ended up in the sea due to a sunken ship, possibly linked to plundering, near the Akragas River's mouth. After 16 months since the initial report, BCsicilia eagerly awaits the cleaning, analysis, and comprehensive investigations to unveil the relic's era, nature, and intended purpose.

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