It seems odd to think that, even to the Romans, the Greeks and Egyptians were ancient and revered civilizations, worthy of being emulated in artistic stylizations. History is nothing more than a never-ending domino effect of tumbling empires, held together by the glue of art.
In this case, we have a beautifully wrought statue of a Greek goddess in marble, the flowing lines begging for the invitation of touch and reverence, of worship and devotion, of invocation and blessing, the divine and sacred brought to life on earth for those who were lucky enough to see it. The level of craftsmanship it took to produce sculptures of this type was unparalleled; the Roman Empire in the 2nd century AD laid claim to a host of the best craftsmen in the world. I can only begin to imagine what kind of a life those men would have lived.