Roman bronze statues discovered at San Casciano dei Bagni in Tuscany

A few days ago in November 2022, a dramatic discovery was made at the excavations being undertaken at the Tuscan town of San Casciano dei Bagni in the province of Sienna. In fact, the largest deposit of bronze statues from the Etruscan and Roman ages ever discovered in Italy and one of the most significant in the whole of the Mediterranean has been found. At least 24 bronze statues, each roughly 1 m tall, in an excellent state of preservation and dating from the second century BC have been uncovered. The statues bear both etruscan and latin inscriptions suggesting that they were put in place over a considerable period.

 Bronze statue of an archer found at San Casciano dei Bagni

Some archaeologists are saying that the find compares in importance with the Greek bronzes found in the sea at Riace in Calabria fifty years ago. We'll have to wait for the San Casciano dei Bagni statues to be cleaned before we can know if they are comparable with the Riace warriors in artistic quality, but the statue of Hygieia, the goddess of health, with a snake coiled on her arm looks pretty good!

Bronze statue excavated at San Casciano dei Bagni

The statues were recovered from the mud accumulated in an area of thermal pools where they were deposited as votive offerings. The thermal baths where the statues were found operated from the third century BC until the fifth century AD, when public bathing was prohibited during Christian times. The sacred basin was deliberately hidden by being covered with large tiles and the columns of the sacred portico were lowered above it to seal the final closure of this place of pagan worship.

Bronze head from San Casciano dei Bagni

In addition to the statues, more than 6000 Etruscan and Roman coins have been recovered, offerings made up until the sanctuary was closed in the 5 C, along with innumerable inscriptions in both etruscan and latin.

The excavation site at San Casciano dei Bagni

More about San Casciano dei Bagni.

More about the Etruscans.

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Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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Roselle and Grosseto in the Tuscan Maremma: an ancient Etruscan town and a modern cathedral city in Tuscany

Roselle is a picturesque, Etrusco-Roman ruin located on the boundary between the valley of Ombrone and the Maremma, on the shore of the ancient lake Prile (Lacus Prelius). The ruins are about 15 km SE of Vetulonia, another Etruscan site, and 8 km NE of Grosseto, the largest town in this part of Tuscany.

Remains of the Roman amphitheatre at Roselle in the Tuscan Maremma

The relationship between Roselle and Grosseto is quite interesting - to a large extent, Roselle is the ancestor of Grosseto.

Roselle (Rusellae) stood and, as a ruin, still stands on two hills separated by a valley that formed its political, economic and religious nucleus. The area has been frequented humans since prehistoric times, but Roselle became a real city when it was settled by the Etruscans, in the 7 C BC. Roselle was among the Etruscan cities that were not members of the Etruscan Dodecapoli.

In 294 BC, Roselle was conquered by the Romans, led by the consul Lucio Postumio Megelio. Its flowering began in the first century AD. Thanks to the imperial favour and the work of some munificent families of local patrons, there was intense building activity at this time, that extended throughout the county.

From the late imperial age, Roselle was affected by the same decadence that struck numerous Roman cities. Archaeologists have been able to identify signs of this recession in the contraction of the urban area and in the numerous cases of re-use and abandonment of the oldest structures. Roselle was unable to recover its modest but not unimportant status in Tuscany, despite its role as a bishopric.

In fact, it was at Roselle that the first cathedral of this bishopric stood, at least from the 5 C AD, when Bishop Vitaliano participated in the Roman Synod of 499. The first building was built on the remains of a thermal baths complex dating from between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, on the slopes of the northern part of the city and was subjected to various reconstructions, such as the imposing Romanesque phase, characterised by the bell tower of which the foundations may still be seen.

The Duomo of Grosseto

The spiritual and administrative center of the diocese was, however, transferred in 1138 to nearby Grosseto, by a bull issued by Pope Innocent II. Thus, from the 12 C the city of Roselle was gradually abandoned and its remains reused as building or decorative materials elsewhere. Some of them were used to embellish the new Duomo and others were generally transported to Grosseto. Some architectural remains have been recovered and displayed in the Museum and in the Archaeological Garden or form part of the Grosseto street decorations, to illustrate the close link with ancient Roselle.

Decorated stone element from Roselle

More about the Maremma.

More about Grosseto. 

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Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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The Roman Theatre beneath the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence

The Roman Theatre excavated beneath the Palazzo Vecchio opened to the public for the first time from 25 September 2010. It dates back to the first century BC and is one of the most interesting Roman remains in the area of Florence. The theatre took twenty years to excavate and is now part of the Museum of the Palazzo Vecchio. One-hour guided tours take place on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 11, 14,30, 15.30 and 16.30. When the Palazzo Vecchio is open in the evenings, there are also tours at 17.30 and 18.30. The tours must be booked in advance (booking is free) by calling the Museo dei Ragazzi at 055 2768224. The entrance ticket is 8 euro and includes entrance into the rest of the Palazzo Vecchio museum.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

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