Head of an elderly man, with thick wavy hair and beard. He
has a high narrow forehead, sharply delineated eyelids and a
fleshy lower lip. A fillet or ribbon encircles his hair.
Ugolini interpreted the head as most probably representing Asklepios,
the god of healing, due to the hair fillet, which forms part
of the iconography of Asklepios, and due to the proximity of
the shrine of Asklepios to the theatre. [1] Alternative identifications
with Zeus and Poseidon have been proposed. [2] The head is very
similar to one in Cherchel Archaeological Museum, Algeria: though
they are probably not contemporary, their hairstyle is similar.
[3] It also shows similarities to a bust in the Ny Carlsberg
Glyptotek in Copenhagen and, in particular, with head from Asia
Minor preserved in the same museum. [4] Certain similarities
also exist with a small marble statue of Asklepios found during
survey in the surroundings of Amantia (Vlora) (MAT 1090). The
shape of the remaining part of the neck suggests that the head
and body were carved from one block of marble. At Butrint the
cult of Asklepios formed a central role in the political and
administrative life of the Hellenistic city; and several members
of the Julio-Claudian imperial family were honoured with portraits
in the sanctuary.