Museums are filled with the captivating spectacle of bodiless heads and headless bodies dating back to Roman times. “Headless, these statues invoke a sense of mystery and fragmentation, allowing us to glimpse into the past while reminding us of the gaps in our understanding,” described Diana Kleiner in her book Roman Sculpture . But why is it that Roman statues are so often found without their heads (and vice versa)?

The prevalence of headless Roman statues is rooted in the complex history and cultural context of ancient Rome. One of the most frequently touted explanations is the deliberate defacement of statues. Within a culture where statues symbolized state power, the act of being forgotten represented the ultimate penalty.