Etruscan statues discovered - 9th December 2022

Experts found 24 old statues in Siena, Italy. They're from the Etruscan people. They lived 2,300 years ago. The statues were of gods, leaders and children. They were at an old Roman bath. They were in mud and water. Emanuele Mariotti explains the important history of the baths.

Emanuele Mariotti: "People came to this place to heal themselves two thousand years ago and more. And in this place people dedicated objects, statues, coins, bronzes for their own health and salvation, through water, praying to the gods."

The Etruscan people lived in the north of Italy. They lived 500 years before the Roman Republic. The statues are very important for Italy. The experts are surprised to find them. Michela Ledda talks about how he feels.

Michela Ledda: "It was a very strong emotion that I tried to share immediately by looking for the eyes of my companions, because you could not believe it. Let's say that at the beginning you could only see one little foot because it was in a position where only one foot of this statue emerged, but then it turned out to be completely intact. The emotion is huge. These are things that happen I think only once in the life of an archaeologist."

There were a lot of old coins with the statues. Maybe people threw the coins in the baths for good luck. This is a tradition in many countries today.

The Etruscan and Roman baths closed during Christian times. This kept the statues and coins safe. Nobody touched them for 2,300 years. Today, they are perfect. This is exciting news for experts.