A woman found a 2,000-year-old bust of a Roman general in Texas Goodwill for $ 34.99

AUSTIN, Texas – Two thousand years ago in Rome, an artist sculpted a marble statue of the general’s head. The bust found its way into the Bavarian King’s Museum in Germany centuries before it disappeared during World War II. Laura Young then found him at Goodwill in Austin.

“His head was lying on the floor under the exhibition table,” said Young, who works as an antiques dealer. “It definitely looked old. It was carved marble. “

Young bought a bust weighing 52 pounds and 19 inches tall for $ 34.99 in 2018, sharing in her Instagram account photos of the statue fastened to her back seat with a seat belt. Another photo showed the statue lying in her house in a mask.

Bringing it home, she began researching and discovered that the artwork was in fact a bust of the Julius Claudius era depicting the famous Roman general Nero Claudius Druze Germanicus, also known as Druze Germanicus or Druze the Elder.

“It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever found,” Young said. “The most special. There’s a lot of history here.”

Friends at an auction house in London have confirmed that the bust was a genuine ancient relic. Another auction house confirmed to Young that the bust is in the catalog of the German Art Museum, which is 100 years old.

How the statue got to Texas remains a mystery. Experts believe the bust hit Texas thanks to an American soldier who was in Aschaffenburg during World War II. Now the statue must be returned to its rightful owner.

“It’s bitter because I can’t sell it! I’m a trader,” Young laughed. – I’m trying to make a living!

Before heading to Germany, the bust of Germanicus will be on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art for one year, starting this week.

“I wanted to know where he was before I found him,” Young said. “But we may not know it.”