The Italian Ministry of Culture has announced the discovery at the site of an ancient thermal bath in Tuscany of more than 20 bronze statues and other artifacts that it said would “rewrite the history of Etruscan-Roman statuary.”
Archeologists found the statues, some of which date back to the second century BC, in “perfect condition,” as the spring water had preserved their Etruscan and Latin inscriptions, the ministry said.
A video released by the culture ministry and Musei Italiani on Tuesday, November 8, shows experts examining and discussing the artifacts, including the bronze statues, coins, and other objects.
The find represents “the largest deposit of bronze statues from the Etruscan and Roman periods,” according to officials in San Casciano dei Bagni, the municipality where the artifacts were found.
Authorities said the objects would be housed in a new museum in San Casciano.
The Ministry said the discovery was “significant” from an archaeological point of view because it would help to shed light on a largely unknown period of Etruscan statuary.
The objects could also provide valuable insight into the culture and art of the Etruscans, a civilization that lived in central Italy until the Romans absorbed it.
The press release explained that the statues were in incredible condition due to the mud and hot spring water they were surrounded in. The different statues clearly noted details such as facial features, hair, wrinkled clothing, and engraved inscriptions of influential Etruscan families.
Jacopo Tabolli, a professor at the University for Foreigners of Siena who helped organize the dig, said, “While there were social and civil wars being fought outside the sanctuary…inside the sanctuary, the great elite Etruscan and Roman families prayed together in a context of peace surrounded by conflict. This possibility to rewrite the relationship and dialectic between the Etruscan and Romans is an exceptional opportunity.”
Credit: Ministero della Cultura/Musei Italiani via Storyful | CBS News
