THREE remarkable ancient Roman heads go on display at Liverpool’s World Museum this week.

The solid marble heads, which were discovered by archaeologists working on a small island in the Mediterranean in 2003, have been identified as those of roman emperors Julius Caesar and Titus, and an imperial princess thought to be that of Antonia.

Dr Georgina Muskett, Curator of Antiquities at the Liverpool museum said that the heads were remarkable finds, and welcome additions to the already impressive Roman collection at the museum.

“It is extremely rare to find portraits of Julius Caesar, and this one is particularly good.

“Our classical sculpture collection is already the biggest outside London, but it is very exciting for us to have these pieces because of their unusual burial, and because we don’t have any portraits of Caesar or Titus in our exhibition.”

The heads will be on display at the museum until the end of February.

They were found on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria, which is now a popular holiday destination in the Mediterranean.

Archaelogists discovered the heads in an ancient cistern on the island.

They had been purposefully buried beneath the remains of sacrificed livestock after being detached from their existing statues.

“The heads of statues were sometimes removed if the ruler fell out of favour with the public, or if they were replaced by new rulers,” Dr Muskett added.