This is one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of antiquity.
Find of the century: tonnes of gold coins found, all belonging to a single country.
An incredible treasure trove, including more than 20 bronze statues in perfect condition, as well as gold, silver and bronze coins, was discovered during historic excavations at the ancient baths of San Casciano dei Bagni, in the province of Siena.
This is one of the most important discoveries of antiquity. ‘This discovery will revolutionise history and already has more than 60 experts from around the world,’ said Jacopo Tabollo, the Etruscologist responsible for the excavations.
According to Tabollo, thanks to these excavations, the largest deposit of bronze statues from the Etruscan and Roman periods ever discovered has been found, and one of the most important in the entire Mediterranean.
Unprecedented discovery: tonnes of gold, silver and bronze belonging to a single country found
According to the museums’ official statement, the new discovery ‘is the most important find since the recovery from the sea of the Riace bronze statues, the most significant bronze pieces ever found in the history of the ancient Mediterranean.’
The impressive statues were removed from the mud of ancient thermal baths and represented deities worshipped in a sacred place. Along with them, some bronze body parts were also found, which were offered in sacrifice to the gods to obtain healing through the thermal waters.
Among the statues removed from the hot mud are images of Hygieia and Apollo, as well as a bronze statue reminiscent of the famous Arringatore, found a few years ago on the outskirts of Perugia and representing the orator Aulus Metellus, an Etruscan senator from the time of the Roman Republic.
Researchers note that the excellent state of preservation of the statues in the thermal waters has allowed the preservation of the inscriptions in Etruscan and Latin, which were engraved before their creation.
The first owners of the treasure
The inscriptions contain the names of influential Etruscan families from inland Etruria, from the Velimnos of Perugia to the Marconi, known in Siena. In addition to the phrases in Etruscan, inscriptions in Latin were also found, which also mention the “aquae calidae”, the thermal waters of Bagno Grande, where the statues were found.
The 24 statues, explains Tabolli, date from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD, a historical period of important transformations in ancient Tuscany, during the transition from Etruscan to Roman rule.
‘The sanctuary with its statues is a laboratory for researching cultural diversity in antiquity, a unique testimony to the mobility of the Etruscans and Romans,’ added Tabolli, who says that this discovery ‘is a unique opportunity to rewrite the history of ancient art and, with it, the history of the transition from the Etruscans to the Romans in Tuscany.’
The sanctuary, with its lakes, sloping terraces, fountains and altars, existed at least since the 3rd century BC and remained active until the 5th century AD, when, in the Christian era, it was closed but not destroyed.
The reservoirs were sealed with heavy stone columns, so that after removing this covering, the archaeologists discovered a treasure that had remained intact.
This large sanctuary ‘seems like a unique place. A kind of oasis of peace, if we consider that even in historical periods when the most terrible conflicts were taking place, within these reservoirs and on these altars, two worlds, the Etruscan and the Latin, seemed to coexist without problems,’ added the archaeologist.
