Protected for 2300 years from the mud and boiling water of the sacred tanks, it has recently re-emerged from the excavations of San Casciano dei Bagni, in Toscana, a votive deposit of exceptional value. There are over 24 bronze statues of very refined workmanship, five of which almost one meter high, all intact and in perfect condition..
The treasure of San Casciano
“A discovery that will rewrite history and on which over 60 experts from all over the world are already working”. This was stated by the archaeologist Jacopo Tabolli, the teacher of'University for Foreigners of Siena which has been leading the project since 2019 with the granting of the Ministry of Culture and the financial support of the municipality in the province of Siena. “An absolutely unique treasure - underlines Tabolli - which is accompanied by an incredible quantity of inscriptions in Etruscan and Latin. To which are also added thousands of coins"
Il Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano he has already visited the restoration workshop that housed the statues. “An exceptional find that confirms once more that Italy is a country made up of immense and unique treasures. The stratification of different civilizations - underlined the minister - is unique in Italian culture ".
A museum to house the finds found
Arranged partly on the branches of a huge tree trunk fixed to the bottom of the tank, in many cases covered with inscriptions, the statues as well as the countless ex-votos come from the great families of the area. Exponents of the elites of the Etruscan and then Roman world, landowners, local lords, wealthy classes of Rome and even emperors. Here, surprisingly, the language of the Etruscans seems to survive much longer than the canonical dates of history, just as the Etruscan knowledge in terms of medicine seems to be recognized and accepted as such even in Roman times. In San Casciano, thanks to the recent funding of the Ministry of Culture, will be born a new museum to house the precious artifacts found.
(Photo and video cultura.gov.it)
