THE Emperor Constantine has returned to Rome.
One of York’s most famous Roman objects has gone on show at one of the Italian capital’s most iconic buildings.
The marble head of Constantine, which is usually on show at the Yorkshire Museum, has taken pride of place at an exhibition at the Colosseum.
The exhibition marks the 1,700 anniversary of the Edict of Milan which made Christianity lawful for the first time in the Roman world.
Constantine, the emperor controlling the western side of the Roman Empire, and Licinius, who was controlling the Balkans, met in Milan to agree to not punish those who followed the Christian faith, after centuries of persecution.
The sculpture of Constantine’s head was found in York and may be the earliest portrait of him, perhaps carved shortly after he was proclaimed Emperor in the city in the year 306.
Roughly twice life size, it is from a statue of Constantine which probably stood in a prominent position in the Roman fortress in York.
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