London - The stone head of a Celtic goddess who terrified Roman soldiers in Britain has been unearthed after lying underground for 1 800 years.
Legend has it that Brigantia guarded northern England and was so feared that even the Roman invaders thought it wise to worship her.
However her appearance belies her reputation, with the small carved head revealing strikingly feminine features. And despite being buried for so long, there were even traces of pink paint on the face and a subtle hint of red on the lips.
The head was located during an archaeological dig at a Roman fort on the River Tyne, which the goddess is said to have watched over. A mural crown shaped like battlements signifies her protective nature.
Roman soldiers were convinced that every region had a goddess they needed to placate. Archaeologists believe the head is from a statue which was part of a Roman shrine to Brigantia, whose name means “elevated one”. Previous depictions have shown her carrying a spear in one hand and a globe in the other. According to legend she was a healer as well as a goddess of victory, fertility, prophecy, the arts and of water.
She was the goddess of the Brigantes, a fierce Celtic tribe which ruled over much of northern England in pre-Roman times. Their name gave rise to the modern term brigand. Seven inscriptions referring to Brigantia have been found in an area stretching from northern England to the Scottish Borders, including one on Hadrian’s Wall.
Another shrine to Brigantia, just 100 yards from the current dig at the Arbeia Roman fort in South Shields, was located in 1895.
The head was discovered in an aqueduct that was filled in around the year 208 AD as the Roman fort was expanded when it became a supply base for Hadrian’s Wall.
Nick Hodgson, who leads WallQuest, the team behind the dig, said: “It looks as if the shrine got in the way of the extension to the fort and had to be demolished, and the statue was broken up then.” - Daily Mail