Issue 14 (2026) of V-Life, the official magazine of Vila Vita Parc, devotes several pages to the collection of Roman-period sculptures discovered in Mértola in 2018. Under the title ‘Hail, Caesar! Who do the Roman Statues of Mértola represent’, the article presents the monumental statues unearthed during archaeological monitoring of construction work at a building owned by Mértola Municipal Council – the Hammam and Tea House. The collection reflects the importance of the city of Myrtilis and, once studied and restored, will form part of the 15th Museum Unit of the Cláudio Torres Museum of Mértola, which is currently at the architectural and museographic design stage.
The article states that ‘what they unearthed, piece by piece, were imposing works of public sculpture whose size and quality of execution strongly suggest that they once stood in an important civic or religious space, probably a temple, forum or monumental complex that dominated the Roman settlement. (…) a temple dedicated to the imperial cult established by Augustus, the adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar. After all, it was Augustus who elevated the settlement’s status from simply Myrtilis to Murtilis Iulia –an honorific title indicating a city of importance to the Julio-Claudian dynasty.’
