Laocoön and His Sons was discovered in 1506.
The sculpture group was excavated in Rome on 14 January 1506, during the pontificate of Pope Julius II. Workers uncovered it in a vineyard belonging to Felice de Fredis on the Esquiline Hill, near the site of Nero’s former Golden House. The find was quickly identified with the Laocoön group described by the Roman author Pliny the Elder.
The marble depicts the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being attacked by sea serpents. In Virgil’s account, Laocoön warned Troy about the wooden horse, prompting the gods to punish him. The sculpture’s dramatic twisting bodies and anguished expressions made it one of the most influential discoveries of the Renaissance.
Michelangelo was summoned soon after the excavation, and the work entered the papal collection. It has been displayed in the Vatican Museums since the early sixteenth century. When found, the group was incomplete: Laocoön’s right arm and other pieces were missing, leading to later restorations and debates over the correct reconstruction. The discovery date is therefore distinct from the sculpture’s ancient creation, which is generally placed in the Hellenistic or early Roman period.