Facing the Victor Emmanuel II Memorial, walk along Via del Teatro di Marcello on the right for about fifteen minutes, and you would arrive at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin.
In the portico of the basilica stood a marble carving resembling a human face, with a nose, eyes, and a gaping mouth. Legend had it that if anyone told a lie, it would bite down on their hand.
This attraction was called the Mouth of Truth. In truth, it was an ancient Roman manhole cover. The church itself had been built in the sixth century, and before it still remained the ruins of the Temple of Fortuna, the oldest surviving temple in Rome.
This mask was the face of the Greek god Triton, moved here from a fountain. In ancient Greek mythology, he was the messenger of the sea. Unlike Hermes, he had a fish's tail like his father Poseidon and carried a trident. His distinctive attribute, however, was a conch shell, which he used as a horn to raise The Waves.
When he blew the conch with all his strength, its sound was like the roar of a savage beast, powerful enough to stir even the divine Titans.
Joseph did not know whether Leonardo da Vinci had borrowed the principle of the Mouth of Truth when designing this reliquary for saints' remains. The treasure was right before you. You could see every detail, yet could not touch it. If you wanted to touch the real object, you had to put your hand inside—but no one knew what mechanism that might trigger.
Perhaps underground river water would flood in and drown you. Such anti-theft measures were common in ancient tombs and often appeared in films. Even the assistant who had helped Leonardo da Vinci build this Chamber of