In September 2007, a French archaeologist dived near Arles in southern France in the Rhône to search the riverbed for ancient remains. As he lifted a finely crafted marble head out of the water, the leader of the team called out, in one of those classic moments of discovery: “Putain, mais c’est César” – loosely translated: “Damn, that’s Caesar”. In other words, it was a portrait bust of what is probably the most famous of all Romans today – Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, charismatic dictator, assassination victim on the Ides of March 44 BC. He is – perhaps alongside Cleopatra – the personality of antiquity that later generations would have preferred to meet face to face.
Bust of Arles: Did Caesar look very different?
The search for the real Caesar has become an irresistible sport. In the 15 years since it was recovered, the Rhône marble head has become a celebrity in its own right. He has been the subject of special exhibitions and television programs and even graced a French postage stamp. It is currently a highlight of the Arles Antique Museum. Visitors take selfies with him. Possible history of the find: Loyal citizens of ancient Arles had erected the bust during Caesar’s lifetime. After the political climate changed after his assassination, they dumped her in the river. The head was only recovered from its wet grave around two millennia later.
The big question: how do we actually know it’s Julius Caesar? The marble head has no name. Why do we think he is? Nearly 80 ancient heads have been found in Europe and the United States that claim to be genuine portraits of Caesar. How can we judge which of these are real and which are not? Ancient writers report that Caesar flooded the Roman world with his image as a sign of his power. But can we spot his head among the estimated hundreds of thousands of other Roman portraits that stand in the showcases of our museums?
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