The Mouth of Truth (Italian: Bocca della Verità) is a marble mask in Rome, which stands against the left wall of the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, in the Piazza della Bocca della Verità, the site of the ancient Foro Boario (the ancient livestock market). It attracts visitors who boldly put their hand in their mouth.
The massive marble mask weighs about 1300 kg and probably depicts the face of the titan god of the ocean.
The eyes, nostrils and mouth are open. Historians aren't entirely sure what the disc's original purpose was.
It was probably used as a drain cover in the nearby Temple of Hercules Victor, which had an oculus, a round open space in the center of the roof, similar to that of the Pantheon. So, it might rain inside.
It is also thought that cattle traders used it to drain the blood of cattle sacrificed to the god Hercules. In the 13th century the disc was probably removed from the temple and placed against the wall of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. In the seventeenth century it finally moved to its current location inside the portico of the church.
The Mouth of Truth
Address: Piazza della Bocca della Verità , 18, 00186
Phone: +39060608
Site:
http://www.turismoroma.it/cosa-fare/bocca-della-veritaLocation inserted by
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