Photo of the week
The Mouth of Truth Opens
St Andrews academic closes a mystery
Friday 27 July 2012
The mystery of a Roman tourist attraction made famous by Audrey Hepburn has been solved, thanks to a researcher at the University of St Andrews.
Following years of painstaking research – and a postcard – Art Historian Dr Fabio Barry believes he has rediscovered the true identity and function of the sculpture known as ‘Bocca della Verità’ (‘The Mouth of Truth’).
The monument was featured in the film Roman Holiday, starring Hepburn and fellow Hollywood legend Gregory Peck. Rather than an ancient lie detector or fountain, Dr Barry believes the Bocca was originally a drain cover commissioned by the Emperor Hadrian for a shrine to Hercules.