In Tuesday’s episode of “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax heads to International Park in Northwest D.C. to highlight the latest obscure monument — a statue of a mysterious muse, potentially dating all the way back to ancient Greece.
Kaufax looks to find out why the woman depicted was once the victim of a case of mistaken identity.
Originally thought to be a sculpture honoring the theatrical Greek muse of drama and tragedy, Melpomene, this statue was uncovered during an archaeological dig in Athens in the late 1950s, during the height of Cold War tensions.
In an effort to strengthen diplomatic ties, the Greeks cast a limited number of rare copies and gave one to the U.S. For years, Melpomene watched over Van Ness until historians realized the statue wasn’t actually Melpomene, but someone even more significant in the classical Greek pantheon.
Watch the video for the big reveal!
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