A marble head was unearthed during works in the historic centre of Rome on Thursday, the city's mayor Roberto Gualtieri announced on Twitter, posting a photograph of the mud-covered relic.

"Rome continues to return precious evidence of its past: a splendid intact marble head was found during the works in Piazza Augusto Imperatore supervised by the Superintendence" - Gualtieri wrote - "Archaeologists and restorers are busy cleaning and studying the find".