2000 yrs old bronze statue of Roman emperor Augustus discovered in Stream

Archaeologists have revealed fragments of a 2,000-year- old bronze Roman equestrian statue of Emperor Augustus in a stream near Giessen, the Hessian state science ministry has announced.

“There has never been a find of such quality and preservation in Germany,” a statement from the ministry said, adding up that it was a “sensational” discovery.

On August 12, archaeologists found the gold-gilded, life-sized head of a horse and a shoe of the emperor – who ruled the Roman Empire between 23 BC and 14 AD – from a stream in what was once the Roman outpost Germania Magna. Experts there have unearthed several bits – including a horse hoof and a decorated chest strap – from the statue among some 20,000 artefacts uncovered at the site in recent years.

Scientists from the University of Jena think it may have been destroyed by Roman soldiers retreating after the legendary Varusschlacht, or the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, when Germanic tribes trapped and wiped out three Roman legions. As the remaining Roman troops retreated after the sudden defeat, they destroyed most of what they could not take with them.

The horse’s bridle is inflated with images of the Roman god of war Mars and the goddess Victoria, who personified victory.

Restoration and examination of more than 100 statue fragments is in progress in Hessen’s state archaeology workshop.