The Gold Bust of Marcus Aurelius and the City of Aventicum

Golden bust of Marcus Aurelius (161-180), found at Aventicum (present-day  Avenches, Switzerland) : r/ancientrome

In 1939, the gold bust of a Roman emperor later identified as Marcus Aurelius was found in a sewer channel during excavations in Avenches, Switzerland – known in ancient times as Aventicum. This stunning discovery shed new light on the well-preserved settlement, which is still being excavated today. Archaeologist Denis Genequand discusses the remarkable gold bust and the evolution of Aventicum from a 2nd-century BCE Celtic town to an elite Roman city.

May be an image of 1 personAbout the Speaker

File:Marcus Aurelius bust gold AD 161-180 from Aventicum 02.jpg - Wikimedia  Commons
Denis Genequand is an archaeologist with a double specialization in Roman and Islamic archaeology. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Syria, Jordan, and other parts of the Middle East, as well as Ghana and Switzerland. He has published widely on early Islamic Syria and has taught at the universities of Geneva and Princeton. He is currently director of the Archaeological Research Centre and Roman Museum in Avenches, Switzerland.

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