On June 21, 2025, Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, announced via Facebook a remarkable discovery beneath the Forum of Trajan—buried under the surface of Via Alessandrina: a large marble head. Likely part of a colossal imperial statue, it depicts a male figure with pronounced features—thick hair and an intense expression—suggesting it once formed part of an impressive sculpture, perhaps associated with the ancient Porticus Trisigmentata and its monolithic columns.

Initial excavations, funded by PNRR resources and overseen by the Capitoline Superintendency for Cultural Heritage since last November, revealed the head lying within a medieval debris layer rich in ancient materials. The unearthing of this fragment is described as the resurrection of a “fragment of memory,” bringing the grandeur of imperial Rome back to light.

Mayor Gualtieri emphasized the emotional impact of the find: “Rome continues to give us unique emotions that bind us to the past and project us into the future with even more pride.” He underscored that beneath our everyday urban fabric lies a millennia-old history that “continues to amaze—and to excite the world”.

At present, archaeologists are meticulously working to determine whom the sculpted head represents—whether a specific emperor, a revered official, or a mythological figure remains to be confirmed.