The stone head was discovered by Nemi Municipality Civil Protection during reclamation works to clear the lake bed.
The two enormous ships known as the Nemi ships were constructed on Lake Nemi in the first century AD during the reign of the Roman emperor Caligula. The reason for the ships is unknown, although it is hypothesized that they were either floating palaces of pleasure or had religious significance because the lake was revered.
Although the wrecks had long been known to the local fisherman, Cardinal Prospero Colonna and Leon Battista Alberti were the first to look at them in 1446. The wrecks were too deep to be salvaged at this time (18.3 meters), and Colonna and Alberti’s attempts to retrieve them severely damaged the remaining timber.
Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy, ordered the lake to be emptied in 1927 to uncover the wrecks, but it wasn’t until 1932 that they were completely salvaged. This was due to mud eruptions and sinking in the lake floor.
The first ship discovered, known as Prima nave, measured 70 meters in length and 20 meters in breadth. The second vessel, Seconda nave, was 73 meters long and had a 24 meter beam. Both ships were embellished with marble, mosaics, and gilded copper roof tiles and were protected on the topside timbers by paint and tarred wool.
The Roman historian Suetonius writes about the ships in an account in which he says they had “ten banks of oars, the poops of which blazed with jewels… they were filled with ample baths, galleries and saloons, and supplied with a great variety of vines and fruit trees.”
In 1944, during World War II, allied bombardment that was intended for a nearby German artillery position hit the museum where the ships were being housed. Only the bronzes, a few burnt timbers, and other objects kept in Rome escaped the fire, which completely destroyed the museum and the Nemi Ships.
Even though research on the stone head is still in its early stages, it has been hypothesized that it was created during Caligula’s reign in the first century AD. The Nemi City Council reportedly said: “We have notified the competent bodies to make the appropriate assessments and see if it is an original piece.” Heritage Daily reported this.