´óÏó´«Ã½

This Roman sculptured head of a goddess was found at Bearsden Roman fort, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, and was picked by Kevin Grant, postgraduate student at the University of Glasgow (Archaeology). Kevin writes - This object is part of a carved sandstone statue showing a female head, which was found during excavations of the roman bath-house at Bearsden in 1973. Aspects of the design of the head such as downturned lips and distinctively shaped eyes hint that it may have been made by local craftsman. The original statue would have been about half life-size and was probably intended to be of Fortuna, the goddess of good fortune, who was often worshipped by soldiers in the Roman army. What I like about the object is that it gives us some idea of the sumptuous nature of the bath houses on the Antonine wall- they contained rich statuary, which may well have been colourfully painted. I also like that the work of a local craftsman has infiltrated this inner sanctum of Roman culture - the Bath-house.