Italian archaeologists have announced the extraordinary discovery of more than 20 bronze statues dating from the Roman era, most of them in excellent condition, kept in the mud of hot sources in Tuscany.
by Pierre Barthélémy
It was in the province of Siena, in Tuscany, precisely in San Casciano Dei Bagni, that Italian archaeologists have uncovered around twenty bronze statues, well preserved, dating from the Roman era. The announcement was made on Tuesday, November 8. These pieces have been found in the remains of an old thermal establishment, searched by archaeologists since 2019. According to Massimo Osanna, of the Ministry of Italian culture, this discovery is one of the most remarkable “in the history of the Mediterranean ancient “. The statues, representing Hygie (goddess of health and hygiene), Apollo and other Greco-Roman deities, adorned a sanctuary established under the Etruscans then developed by the Romans, before being immersed in thermal waters in thermal waters in thermal waters in thermal waters in thermal waters in thermal waters A kind of ritual. They were covered with nearly 6,000 pieces of bronze, silver and gold, and the warm and muddy waters helped to preserve them “almost as on the day when they were submerged,” said archaeologist Jacopo Tabolli , which coordinates the excavations.