Face in the rock

ARCHAEOLOGISTS working at the Tossal de la Cala fort in Benidorm have discovered a human face engraved on a rock.

The 2,000-year-old sculpture is said to be a unique discovery in Roman territory and an exceptional archaeological event.

According to Jesús Moratalla, professor at the University of Alicante and technical director of the excavations, it is “a relief of exceptional historical transcendence” showing a human face, a cornucopia and a phallus in a space of 57×42 centimetres.

In fact, the discovery was actually made several years ago but was kept under wraps until now in order to protect it.

It is only now, with the project to turn the site into an open-air museum nearing completion, that the find has been made public and will be put on show “in safe and accessible conditions” over the next few months, according to Dr Moratalla.

It is the latest in a series of historic findings at the site that have so far included a foundational amphora and a wealth of material that has helped archaeologists to determine what life was like at the fort.