ANCIENT BRONZE OFFERINGS TO THE GODS (SAN CASCIANO DEI BAGNI)
The cache of bronze offerings discovered last November 2022 at the spa resort of San Casciano dei Bagni (Tuscany) is considered so exceptional that the finds have been put on public display for the first time at the Quirinale Presidential Palace in Rome – a rare privilege accorded only to very special exhibits, such as the two celebrated bronze warriors recovered from the seabed in 1972 and known as the Riace Bronzes.
The exhibition, entitled, “Gli Dei Ritornano” (The Gods Return), features some 20 statues and statuettes, as well as thousands of ex-voto anatomical images and coins, dating from the Etruscan era to the advent of Christianity. A particularly unusual find is the bronze thunderbolt representing the one recorded as having struck the site of the Baths in the 1st century AD, confirming the sacredness and healing powers of the waters.
According to Prof. Jacopo Tabolli, Professor of Etruscology at the University for Foreigners at Siena who led the site archaeological team, the exceptional state of conservation of the ex-votos is thanks to the fact that the bronzes were submerged in the mud at the foot of a sacred well at the ancient healing centre fed with natural warm mineral water.
The exhibition will remain at the Quirinale until the 25th July 2023 and then again between the 2nd September and 29th October 2023, after which the collection expects to be moved to a new permanent museum in San Casciano dei Bagni, opening planned for the end of the year, according to the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Info: www.beniculturale.it
Per visite: Tel. +39.0578.20915 museocivicochiusi@gmail.com
