A remarkable discovery of Roman era bronze statues may transform our knowledge of the early years of Ancient Rome.
Excavations at the Sanctuary Ritrovato del Bagno Grande in San Casciano dei Bagni, Italy, discovered the largest deposit of bronze statues from the Etruscan and Roman periods of Ancient Italy ever found one of the most significant finds of its type in the whole Mediterranean.
The finds include more than twenty statues around one metre high, depicting Ancient deities venerated in the sacred place together with the ancient dedicators.
The exceptional state of conservation within the hot water of the spring has also made it possible to preserve wonderful inscriptions engraved on the statues before their construction.
Most of these masterpieces of antiquity date back to between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. In this era of great conflicts between Rome and the Etruscan cities, noble Etruscan and Roman families together dedicated the statues to sacred water in the sanctuary of the Bagno Grande.
From the inscriptions on the statues we know that the dedicators came from all over the territory of Chiusi and Perugia. It was therefore a sanctuary of interregional significance. Excavation co-ordinator Prof. Jacopo Tabolli says: “What emerged from the mud in San Casciano dei Bagni is a unique opportunity to rewrite the history of ancient art”.
Local officials now plan to build a museum that will attract visitors from around the world to see the remarkable finds.