Heads and bodies
The descriptions from the early 19th century make it likely that the two statues do belong in the Round Hall. But caution is necessary. Much marble from the first few centuries of the Imperial period was reused in antiquity. That includes a surprisingly large number of funerary inscriptions. Much marble was also transported to lime-kilns in various periods, to be burned as building material, quicklime. One such kiln, already visible on a plan from 1804, was found to the east of the House of Serapis. It was made of reused bricks and has the shape of a cone. The ruin of this deplorable structure, in which classical antiquity evaporated, has a diameter of 4.45 meters and is 6 meters high.
The lime-kiln in the east part of the House of Serapis, seen through the entrance.
Photo: Daniel González Acuña.Inside the kiln, in January 1937, fragments of legs and arms were found, and portraits of Trajan and Hadrian. It is surprising that the heads were never burned. Could it be that burning the human head inspired fear? Is this why many portraits can be found in the museums, but not so many bodies? The portraits of the two Emperors are quite similar. Both were made during the early reign of Hadrian (with one archaeologist, not me by the way, thinking of the middle of the third century).
The portraits of Trajan and Hadrian from the lime-kiln. Photos: Wikimedia, Sailko. After the work in 1800 the area seems to have been left alone. On a cold day in December 1911, a hill - still concealing most of the House of Serapis, the Baths of the Seven Sages and the House of the Charioteers - was visited by the director of the excavations, Dante Vaglieri, accompanied by his assistants Guido Calza and Raffaele Finelli, and architect Italo Gismondi. They debated the pros and cons of excavating this then isolated but promising site. The excavation was carried out much later, in the years 1935-1937. An excavation diary was not kept; our source for the work consists of 137 photos. The ruins were immediately restored substantially, in an honest manner that has never been seriously critized.
The House of Serapis at the start of the excavations.
Photo: Archivio Fotografico Ostia, neg. B 2545.
