In 1994, the nearby Hausbach creek in Oberreute experienced a flood. As is typical, things tend to get worn away and churned up. One such thing was this head from a colossal statue of the Roman Emperor Augustus.
This was obviously a relic from Roman times, where there must have been an important cultural center in the Oberreute area, similar to the Cambodunum settlement in the "Archaeological Park Cambodunum " (APC) in Kempten (a city north of this location).
Due to a lack of funds from the Bavarian Archaeological State Office at the time, extensive excavations had not yet been carried out. However; due to the efforts to the archaeologist Prof. Pfanner in Scheidegg, the head of the colossus from Oberreute can be shown to the public. The "Römerkopf" from the Allgäu was rescued from the Hausbach with the help of many volunteers after a flood exposed the nose.
The Bavarian foothills of the Alps were conquered in 15 BC by the stepsons of Emperor Augustus (30 BC - 14 AD), Drusus and Tiberius, and a little later incorporated into the Roman Empire as the province of Raetia (also known as Vindelicia).
According to the research, there was a large Roman fortress in the area of the upper Hausbachklamm gorge. It is theorized that the fort's garrison wanted to scare off local enemies (probably the local Teutonic tribes) with a colossal statue. The statue was of the Emperor Augustus (30 BC to 14 AD). The settlement of the Western Allgäu by the Romans was determined to be about 20 years earlier than previously known.
One can only speculate about the meaning of a colossal statue, since no other parts of this ancient puzzle had been found prior to 1994. Unfortunately, targeted excavations could not be carried out because the necessary consent was refused by the property owners and the Lindau Lower Nature Conservation Authority.
Professor Pfanner's employees restored the head of the colossal statue in their workshop in 1994 and also undertook the necessary dating using the radio-carbon-halon method. The age of the first traces of processing could be narrowed down to the birth of Emperor Augustus in Rome. The antique marble head of Emperor AUGUSTUS (ruled 30 BC-14 AD) was restored by the company Pfanner GmbH with funding from the UNESCO project MAMI (Marble in Central Europe).
As of 2007, further excavations were taking place at the "Enschenstein", finding parts of the right foot and left hand (including the forearm).
The head is currently on display at the workshop of Dr. Pfanner, near Scheidegg. If you look at one of the photos, you can see the logo of the workshop in a sign behind the head.
The scholarly article (German) on the recovery can be accessed at:
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