While repairing the 19th century sewers along the Appian Way leading from Rome to the south of the country, Italian workers discovered a marble statue of Hercules. It was possible to quickly identify the mythical character thanks to his clothes: the figure is dressed in the skin of the Nemean lion with an open mouth instead of a hood. According to legend, the killing of a beast that devastated pastures in the vicinity of the ancient Greek city of Nemea was the first feat of the hero.
The face of the statue differs from the standard portraits of Hercules, and is very similar to the face of the Roman emperor Decius Trajan (reigned 249-251). The similarity is clearly visible if we compare the statue with the profile on the coins. For several years of the reign of Decius Trajan, he tried to revive pagan traditions and legalized the persecution of Christians throughout the country. Given the views and ambitions of the emperor, it is not surprising that he could be portrayed as a legendary demigod.
The statue lay under a 20-meter layer of earth not far from the tomb of Priscilla, a monumental burial place of the 1st century AD. e., which in the Middle Ages was used as a fortification. How the sculpture got here is unknown. Perhaps the artifact was found more than a century ago by sewer builders: not seeing anything special in the find, they could simply bury it back.
