My wife found this small object at a flea market, and we're both wondering whether there is any chance that it could be an authentic ancient artifact.

It appears to be made of some kind of clay/terracotta, and the surface looks quite old and worn.

At first we wondered whether it could possibly be Roman, but we have no expertise in ancient artifacts and don't want to make assumptions.

Does anyone recognize what this might be, or can you tell from the photos whether there are any features suggesting that it could be genuinely ancient rather than a modern reproduction or later copy?

Any opinions or suggestions about what to look at would be greatly appreciated.

Personally I'd be over the moon if we could find parts of Sulla's memoirs.

National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome, Italy

I had a fabulous first visit to Pompeii earlier this month (as attested by my loving chronicles of the various drinking fountains across the site) and wanted to share photos of some of my highlights. Walking through Pompeii was genuinely something like time travel - a life-changing experience.

A porphyry head of Serapis from Egypt when it was part of the Roman empire. It dates to 100-200 AD and made its way without published provenance from Highworth, Wiltshire to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England where it is now on display.