Ancient life-size Hercules statue discovered hidden in Roman sewer system.

The marble statue, complete with identifying lion skin headwear and club, was discovered during the cleaning of a 100-year-old sewer pipe which had triggered mudslides in Rome's Appia Archeologial Park.

The sculpture appears to have been intentionally buried in the sewer pipe a century ago, some 65 feet below what is now street level. Because the sculpture was not found at its original site, the surrounding soil cannot be used to help date the work. Instead, the best clues to help determine its age lie in its physical appearance.

Experts at the archaeological park have developed a theory that the statue may be a depiction of the Emperor Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius, or Decio Traiano, based on the work’s wrinkled face and its likeness to known coins featuring the visage of the ruler, who was in power from 249 to 251.