Today, we are always shocked to hear news of some ancient artifact or fossil being unearthed in someone’s backyard, but the truth is that said backyard was someone’s home a few hundred or even a thousand years ago. Fly to Toledo and see what relics archaeologists have found during this time. Spoiler alert: It’s a marble statue!
In the ancient Roman Empire, if you had considerable power and wealth, you could have your statue carved out of stone or marble. This means that some of these beautifully carved but somewhat exaggerated pieces of rock existed back in the day. However, not many lived to see the modern age. One such survivor is the Toledo statue.
An approximately one-meter-long Roman marble statue was discovered during archaeological work in Toledo’s historic center, according to the consortium of the city of Toledo, which is in charge of the excavation. The statue is a representation of a naked male, and from a technical standpoint, the craftsmanship is nothing short of amazing. So far, only the torso and some limb parts have been preserved, but the site has not yet been fully excavated, and new archaeological material may turn up at any time.
The shocking discovery was made near the Roman cryptoporticus (an underground gallery built to compensate for the unevenness of the terrain) while the Toledo City Consortium was performing maintenance work under Navarro Ledezma Street. The new discovery adds another piece to the complex puzzle of the Roman city of Toletum. According to ancient documents, Toletum was located on the road connecting two large cities – Augusta Emerita (Merida) and Cesaragusta (Zaragosa). It was an important linchpin in the local iron industry, which allowed the city to cash in. Over time, nearby cities were eventually swallowed up by what became known as Toletum. Or at least a working theory partially confirmed by incredible archaeological finds like the aforementioned marble torso.
With each relic discovered, historians move closer to the truth.