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Minerva’s Head

Minerva’s Head. Suraj Bhudia. About. Height 247.5 mm Late first century AD Stood until the late third century AD, possibly destroyed in a Barbarian raid (perhaps due to the growing popularity of Christianity in Roman Britain)

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Minerva’s Head

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  1. Minerva’s Head Suraj Bhudia

  2. About • Height 247.5 mm • Late first century AD • Stood until the late third century AD, possibly destroyed in a Barbarian raid (perhaps due to the growing popularity of Christianity in Roman Britain) • The gilt bronze head of goddess Sulis Minerva found in Bath (Roman Baths site) • Would have once been fully coated with gold leaf • From the cult statue of the deity which would have stood within the temple dedicated to her (besides the sacred spring)

  3. Sulis Minerva • Romans found the native Celts worshipped a god of the local thermal springs with similar powers to their own goddess, Minerva • Minerva is the Roman equivalent of Athene and was also depicted to have been born from the head of Jupiter (Greek Zeus) • They decided to combine the two for worship by both Celts and Romans, keeping both parties happy • They built a temple in honour of the new deity in Bath • Oil lamps in the temple would have caused the gold leafed statue to glisten creating a magnificent sight, which may also have had the effect of movement

  4. Features • Head is slightly larger than life size, indicating that the statue was built to appear imposing on its viewers • Fairly well detailed facial features (e.g. Inclusion of eyebrows) • Cheeks are smooth giving the face an expressionless stare • Small holes can be found hidden in the hair line which is thought to have held rivets that fixed a tall Corinthian style helmet on top of the head • Hair is slightly stylised however no regular pattern, although the helmet would have been the main feature • An imperfection (rectangular cut) can be found under the chin which may have appeared during the casting process due to an air bubble

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