✅ Four magnificent statues of Caryatids were discovered in the Canopus during the excavations of the 1950s. They were thrown into the Euripus, the long water basin of the Canopus, which had already been stripped of its marbles.

✅ Two statues of Sileni Canefori were found in the same spot: on their heads they had a capital in the shape of a fruit basket. The original statues are now in the Antiquarium of Villa Adriana, replaced by copies.

✅ The statues are exact copies of the famous Caryatids of the Erectheion temple of the Acropolis in Athens. Since they are better preserved, it was possible to reconstruct the missing parts of the Athenian originals, which lost their arms and were damaged by weathering.

✅ The Caryatids of Villa Adriana have a patera in their right hand, while with the left hand they hold a flap of their dress. The capital above the head and the details of the hair are identical, as is the drapery of the clothes.

✅ Augustus too had copied the Caryatids of Athens, placing them in the Forum of Augustus, where they decorated the upper part of the building. By choosing the Caryatids for his Villa Tiburtina, Hadrian underlined his cultural link with Greece. And also his political connection with Augustus, who like him had restored peace after years of civil wars.

‼️ Athens, Tivoli and Rome united by the Caryatids