The 24 partially submerged statues, which date back 2,300 years and have been hailed as the most important find of their kind in the last 50 years, include a sleeping teenage girl standing next to Hygeia, the goddess of health, with a snake coiled around her hand. Archaeologists found the statues during excavations at the ancient spa in San Casciano dei Bagni, near Siena. The modern spa, which contains 42 thermal springs, is located near the ancient site and is one of Italy’s most popular spa destinations. The ancient Etruscan spa was developed by the Romans and was visited by emperors including Augustus. Photo: Jacopo Tabolli/Universita per Stranieri di Siena/EPA Near the athea (a teenager, typically 17-18 years old) and Hygeia was a statue of Apollo and a number of others representing matrons, children and emperors. Believed to have been built by the Etruscans in the third century BC, the baths, which include fountains and altars, became more opulent during the Roman period, with emperors such as Augustus frequenting the springs for their health and healing benefits. Next to the 24 bronze statues, five of which are almost a meter high, archaeologists found thousands of coins as well as Etruscan and Latin inscriptions. Visitors are said to have thrown coins into the baths as a gesture for good luck for their health. Massimo Osanna, director general of museums at Italy’s culture ministry, said the relics were the most important discovery of their kind since two Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors were found off the coast of Calabria near Riace in 1972. Certainly one of the most important copper discoveries in the history of the ancient Mediterranean,” Osanna told Italian news agency Ansa. The ancient bath was active until the fifth century, when the pools were sealed with heavy stone pillars, which archaeologists removed. Photo: Jacopo Tabolli/Universita per Stranieri di Siena/EPA The excavation work at San Casciano dei Bagni has been led by archaeologist Jacopo Tabolli since 2019. In August, several artifacts, including fertility statues believed to have been used as offerings to the gods, were found at the site. Tabolli, a professor at Siena University for Foreigners, described the latest discovery as “absolutely unique”. The Etruscan culture flourished in Italy, mainly in the central regions of Tuscany and Umbria, for 500 years before the arrival of the Roman Republic. The Etruscans had a strong influence on Roman cultural and artistic traditions. Initial analysis of the 24 statues, believed to have been made by local artisans between the second and first centuries BC, as well as countless votive offerings discovered at the site, show that the relics originally belonged to elite Etruscan and Roman landowning families. local rulers and Roman emperors. The discovery of the well-preserved statues has been hailed as the most important of its kind in 50 years. Photo: Jacopo Tabolli/Universita per Stranieri di Siena/EPA Tabolli told Ansa that the hot springs, rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium, remained active until the fifth century, before being closed, but not destroyed, during the Christian era. The pools were sealed with heavy stone pillars while the divine statues remained in the holy water. The treasure was found after archaeologists removed the cover. “It’s the largest store of statues from ancient Italy, and it’s the only one whose frame we can fully reconstruct,” Tabolli said. Italy’s newly appointed culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said the “extraordinary discovery” confirms once again that “Italy is a country full of enormous and unique treasures.” The remains represent an important testimony to the transition between the Etruscan and Roman periods, with the baths considered a haven of peace. “Even in historical times when the most horrific conflicts were raging outside, within these lakes and these altars, the two worlds, the Etruscan and the Roman, seem to have coexisted without problems,” Tabolli said. Excavations at the site will resume next spring, while the winter season will be used to restore and conduct further studies on the relics. The objects will be housed in a 16th-century building recently purchased by the Ministry of Culture in the town of San Casciano, near Florence. The site of the ancient baths will also be developed into an archaeological park. “All these will be strengthened and harmonized and could be a further opportunity for the intellectual development of our culture, but also of the cultural industry of our country,” said Sangiuliano.
