14 DAY TRIAL // A centuries-old rock that was unearthed in Chichester, England some 200 years ago and which is now on display at the Novium Museum is actually a sculpture of Roman Emperor Trajan's head, researchers at the Bournemouth University claim.
Ever since it was first discovered, the rock, dubbed the Bosham Head after the village where it was found, has held a strong fascination with historians. However, it took a while for them to figure out what it represented.
In an attempt to solve the mystery surrounding it, Bournemouth University researchers used 3D laser scanning technology to closely examine it.
Information obtained in this manner made it possible for them to pin down distinctive facial features and the hairstyle of the person the statue was supposed to honor.
Based on this evidence, they concluded that the rock represented the head of Roman Emperor Trajan.
“The statue is one of the most important finds from Roman Britain and would certainly have been the most impressive. The problem is because the face has been so battered by weathering – possibly because it was in the sea at one point – people have felt for the last 200 years that there’s not enough left of the face to be that precise on its identification.”
“It is a shame that it has been ignored and overlooked for so long, but now that laser scanning has helped resolve its identity, hopefully it will now take pride of place,” Dr. Miles Russell commented on the outcome of this investigation.
Specialists say that the statue is made of Italian marble, and that is dates back to around 122 A.D. It weighs 170 kilograms (26 stone) and it is twice as big as Trajan's real head would have been.
Dr. Miles Russell suspects that the statue was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian, i.e. Trajan's successor, and that it used to sit at the entrance to Chichester Harbour.