In the sediment of the Rhone River near Arles, France, archaeologists discovered a life-size marble bust (artistic sculpture o the head and neck)that some claim is the oldest known representation of Julius Caesar the famous leader of the Roman state created around 46 BCE when Caesar was in his fifties. Those making the claim base it on three arguments. Style of sculpture First, the bust was made using the realist sculpture's style that was introduced to Rome during Caesars time. Older Roman sculpture styles often depicted people in an ideal way, ignoring any flaws in their appearance and making them look younger. In contrast, the principle of realism prevalent in Caesars time was to represent people s physical features faithfully, even if they were not attractive. The Rhone River bust is a completely realistic portrayal of a man in his fifties. Resemblance to other portraits of Julius Caesar Second, the bust shares some intriguing details with other portraits of Caesar that are known to have been made during Caesars lifetime. For example, Caesar was depicted on money(silver coins used during his rule. The coins show Caesars hair to be much the same as it is represented in the Rhone River bust. Location of bust Third. the fact that the bust was found in the Rhone River sediment supports the claim that it depicts Julius Caesar. Caesar was violently overthrown in 44 B.C.E and replaced by another leader. In this circumstance. it could be politically dangerous for Roman citizens to keep a bust of Caesar. It might be interpreted as a lack of respect for the new leader. So it is likely that the bust of Caesar would have been disposed of very soon after 44 BCE Throwing a marble bust into the deep Rhone River would have been a good way to get rid of it fast In the lecture, the professor is skeptical about the idea of the reading passage that The Rhone River bust is the oldest known representation of Julius Caesar. The professor argues that the observations presented in the reading passage are limited. They are not useful in determining In the reading passage, the bust was made using the realist sculpture's style that was introduced to Rome during Caesars time. On the contrary, the professor says that the realistic style continued after Caesars died and was popular after a number of centuries after his death. So the dust can be made much later than 46BCE. The professor then opposes reading’s idea that the bust shares some details with other portraits of Caesar that are known to have been made during Caesars lifetime like some coins. The professor states that the nose and neck in the bust are different from that of in the coins. All the feature in the bust should be consistent with the other depictions of Caesar during his life time. Finally, the professor disapproves the reading’s idea that in order to dispose the dust, Roman citizens may throw the bust into the deep Rhone River. The professor points out that other statue are also found in the river. The roman god of the ocean was found right away Caesar’s statue. So people may not depose statues out of political reasons and river are typical place for people to throw away trash.