The statues date from the second century B.C. The Etruscans were one of several peoples to inhabit the Italian peninsula before the dominance of the Latin-speaking Romans. 'It is the most important discovery since the Riace Bronzes and certainly one of the most significant bronzes ever found in the history of the ancient Mediterranean,' said Massimo Osanna, the director general of museums at the Culture Ministry.
The find is considered to be the most important to antiquities since the discovery of the Riace Warriors, rare full-sized Greek bronze statues found in southern Italy in 1972. Some 5,000 gold, silver and bronze coins were also uncovered at the same time. The newly discovered statues were found in October. The statues were offered to the sacred water, the ministry said. The figures represent gods, including Apollo and Hygieia, complete with anatomical details, suggesting the site was of great significance to ancient Etruscans. “What has re-emerged from the mud at San Casciano dei Bagni is a unique opportunity to rewrite the history of ancient art and with it the history of the passage between the Etruscans and Romans in Tuscany,” Jacopo Tabolli, who led the excavation, said in a statement announcing the find. The bronze statues are over 2,000 years old, most in excellent condition.
