Marble Head of Livia in Oxford Museum Reunited with Body

A marble head of Livia, the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, which had entered the collection of the Ashmoleon Museum more than 100 years ago, has been reunited with its body, according the The Times of London.

The reunification occurred after the Spilt Museum in Croatia uncovered a Roman shrine to the imperial family at Narona. Originally it was though the Oxford head of Livia belonged to a headless female torso found with other statues of Augustus' family. But when the head and torso were brought together, it was clear that the proportions were wrong.

According to the Times, the director of the Split Museum spent several subsequent months examining Roman sculptural finds from other area towns, eventually finding a torso in Opuzen that was a perfect match. The resultant statue may hold the key to identifying a variety of other similar statues and add further evidence of a "cult of Livia" that may have been fostered.

For more information, click Ashmoleon Livia.