The Hooded Spirits
Early 3rd century AD · Housesteads Roman Fort · England
WHAT IT IS
Three small hooded figures with oversized heads stand in a row. A Roman carving of hooded figures said to be from Bath went viral as proof that the Romans saw greys.
THE ALIEN READING
Shared on r/aliens (335 upvotes) as a 'couple-thousand-year-old carving' of beings with strange heads, three in a row like the trios in abduction reports.
WHAT THE RECORD SAYS
These are the Genii Cucullati, hooded spirits worshipped in Roman Britain and Gaul, usually in threes, linked to fertility, healing and good fortune. This relief comes from a shrine in the settlement outside Housesteads fort.
WHERE IT STANDS
Explained. Historians and archaeologists account for what it shows. The alien reading is a modern one.
STATUS IS OUR CURRENT ASSESSMENT, NOT A VERDICT · REVIEWED 3 OCT 2026
THE RECORD
- DATE
- Early 3rd century AD
- PLACE
- Housesteads Roman Fort · England
- MADE BY
- Romano-British carvers
- MEDIUM
- Sculpture
- TECHNICAL
- Carved relief · from a shrine in the vicus at Vercovicium (Housesteads) · Roman Britain
