Etruscan statues discovered - 9th December 2022

Archeologists have discovered 24 bronze statues in Siena, Italy. They're from the Etruscan civilisation. It existed 2,300 years ago. The statues were found half buried in mud and water in some ancient baths. They included gods, emperors and children.

The baths are near a popular spa area today. Emanuele Mariotti is working on the site.

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 civilisation existed 500 years before the Roman Republic.

The statues are important to Mediterranean history and culture. It's one of the most important discoveries in the region. Archeologist Michela Ledda thinks the statues are amazing.

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."

Tons of coins were found along with the statues. Perhaps, people threw coins into the baths for good luck and good health. Today people still believe it brings good luck.

This is such an incredible discovery because it's exactly as it was left 2,300 years ago. It wasn't destroyed, just carefully closed down. As a result, we can almost travel back in time.