1,800-year-old Venus statues found in France

French archaeologists have discovered a number of objects in a Roman-era landfill in Brittany, including two statuettes of the goddess Venus.

A research team from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) has discovered a shale quarry at least 1,800 years old in an ancient Gallo-Roman dump. Among the objects they have located are two statuettes of the terracotta goddess Venus, as well as pottery shards, coins, pins and glass fragments.

“We find these types of statuettes regularly during excavations, but they are rarely as well-preserved and special as this one,” explained site director Nicolas Ménez. “We haven’t cleaned it yet and we want to preserve any traces of pigments. We are still at the beginning of the story of this Venus.”

One of the statuettes reproduces the “mother goddess” or Venus genetrix with a cloth covering her body, and the other is the Venus anadyomene, naked emerging from the sea. The ancient quarry where the figures were located was probably used to build Condate (Civitas Riedonum), and was the main settlement of the Riedon tribe.

Several evidence of domestic activities dating back to the 17th century have also been located at the site, such as the remains of wooden buildings, ovens or pipes. Archaeologists believe that there is still much more to be discovered in the quarry, which will continue to be studied.

And talking about art, a school principal is expelled for showing Michelangelo’s David to students.