An extremely rare find by archaeologists has shed light on the peculiarities of the religion of ancient Rome

The head of Mercury helped make a historical discovery

The discovery of a rare ceramic head has helped uncover a previously unknown ancient Roman settlement. Archaeologists have unearthed a 2,000-year-old clay head that once belonged to a Roman figurine of the god Mercury.

A rare artifact discovered at the archaeological site of Smollit Place in Kent, England, provides evidence of a previously unknown Roman settlement that was in use between the first and third centuries, conservation charity the National Trust said in a press release.

Portable figurines and figurines of Roman gods were part of everyday life in Roman Britain. Both the elite and ordinary citizens worshiped the figurines in their homes—or left them in temples or other places as an offering or gift to the respective god.

Mercury was the Roman god of the fine arts, commerce and financial success. This newly discovered Mercury was made from “pipe clay”, a thin white clay used to make smoking pipes, and such examples are extremely rare, with fewer than ten discovered so far in Roman Britain, CNN notes. According to scientists, most often Mercury figurines were made of metal.

“Finds like this one at Smallheath provide extremely valuable insight into the religious beliefs and practices of the culturally mixed populations of the Roman provinces,” said Dr Matthew Fittock, an expert on ceramic figures in Roman Britain, in a press release.

According to the National Trust, this completed figurine likely depicted Mercury standing, either draped in a short cloak or naked, and holding a staff with two intertwined serpents.

The Head of Mercury, along with other finds from the excavation, will be on display from February 28 at Smollit Place, which was one of the most important shipbuilding centers in medieval England from the 13th to the mid-16th centuries, CNN reports.