1. Minerva’s Head Suraj Bhudia

2. About Height 247.5 mm Late first century AD Stood until the late third century AD, possibly destroyed in a Barbarian raid (perhaps due to the growing popularity of Christianity in Roman Britain) The gilt bronze head of goddess Sulis Minerva found in Bath (Roman Baths site) Would have once been fully coated with gold leaf From the cult statue of the deity which would have stood within the temple dedicated to her (besides the sacred spring)

4. Sulis Minerva Romans found the native Celts worshipped a god of the local thermal springs with similar powers to their own goddess, Minerva Minerva is the Roman equivalent of Athene and was also depicted to have been born from the head of Jupiter (Greek Zeus) They decided to combine the two for worship by both Celts and Romans, keeping both parties happy They built a temple in honour of the new deity in Bath Oil lamps in the temple would have caused the gold leafed statue to glisten creating a magnificent sight, which may also have had the effect of movement

6. Features Head is slightly larger than life size, indicating that the statue was built to appear imposing on its viewers Fairly well detailed facial features (e.g. Inclusion of eyebrows) Cheeks are smooth giving the face an expressionless stare Small holes can be found hidden in the hair line which is thought to have held rivets that fixed a tall Corinthian style helmet on top of the head Hair is slightly stylised however no regular pattern, although the helmet would have been the main feature An imperfection (rectangular cut) can be found under the chin which may have appeared during the casting process due to an air bubble