ROME — Italian archaeologists are praising a recent discovery, calling it “the most exceptional” of the last half-century. They believe it could rewrite the history of relations between the Etruscan and Roman civilizations.

In just a few weeks, in September and October, a team of archaeologists unearthed two dozen bronze statues of human figures, more than 2,000 years old and perfectly preserved in the mud and waters of Hai from an ancient sacred pool.

The site is that of the Hāt springs of the Tuscan town of San Casciano dei Bagni, San Casciano dei Bathi, one of the many picturesque towns perched on hills overlooking green valleys dotted with majestic cypress trees.

But in the 3rd century BC, this place had a unique attraction: the ancient Etruscans built a sanctuary at the local springs of Hāt, which later gave its name to the city.

The Etruscans lived and flourished for 500 years in what is now central Italy (the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio) before the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC, following the overthrow of the last Etruscan king who had ruled Rome.

Roman art and culture were strongly influenced by Etruscan civilization, which was eventually assimilated by the Roman Empire.

The valley just below the village has 42 springs that provide one of the largest flows of thermal water in Europe, explains Ludovico Salerno, a member of the local archaeological association who participated in the excavation.

Standing at the edge of the excavation of the ancient baths, he points to the water gushing from an underground channel and declares: “This spring is the most powerful in San Casciano. Every day it pumps out hundreds of thousands of liters of water at 40°C.”

Since 2020, thanks to funding from the Municipality of San Casciano dei Bagni, archaeologists have unearthed a large marble basin from the ancient sanctuary. It was adorned with fountains and altars dedicated to the gods Apollo, his son Asclepius, and his daughter Hygieia, whose name is the origin of the English word “hygiene.”

The Etruscans had adopted their religion from the Greeks and key elements of the Etruscan religion were later adopted by the Roman Senate.

When the Romans later enlarged the sanctuary and made it more opulent, historians say that Emperor Augustus was a frequent visitor.

But this site, Salerno said, was not intended for recreation.

The pool was a sacred place; only religious guardians were allowed to bathe there. The sick came to the sanctuary in the hope of healing and offered sacrifices to the gods. It was a place of suffering and hope.

The first discoveries were coins and small votive offerings representing parts of the body that required healing: ears, feet, torsos, etc.

Then, this fall, two years after the excavation began, the team of archaeologists found two dozen bronze statues, each about a meter tall, perfectly preserved by the mud and water at the bottom of the large basin.

Among them, a sleeping adolescent, called    an ephebe    , lies next to a statue of Hygieia, with a snake coiled around his arms.

Archaeologist Emanuele Mariotti, director of fieldwork overseeing the excavation site, says the discovery of so many objects in their original location provides unique historical context.

“It’s not just about discovering statues, bronzes, coins, and… architectural elements. Everything must be in its place and with the right objects around it,” Mariotti explains. “It’s the context. This context could reveal the true history of this place.”

Mariotti and his colleagues believe that in ancient times there was likely a blacksmith on site where people seeking divine healing could forge their votive offerings in bronze. The researchers also discovered bronze representations of internal organs, which Mariotti says are unique and ancient versions of X-rays: “A bit like an X-ray, but in bronze, a bronze image of the inside of the body.”

When asked if the anatomical details are accurate, Mariotti replies, “So accurate… really scientifically accurate, really.”

The new discoveries also shed light on what the Italian Ministry of Culture describes as a “unique multicultural and multilingual refuge” between the Etruscans and Romans at a time when the rivals were primarily at war.

And scholars, says Mariotti, could rewrite the history of the transition from Etruscan civilization to the Roman Empire.

“We can describe the whole of life, day by day, here, over the course of four or five centuries, it’s incredible,” he says.

But despite all the new information emerging from the Sanctuary of San Casciano dei Bagni, one great mystery still remains: why didn’t Christians destroy this site or convert it into a church, as they did with so many pagan temples?

Researchers have determined that around 500 AD, about two centuries after Christianity became the official religion of the then-waning Roman Empire, the sanctuary was dismantled piece by piece. The statues were placed at the bottom of the large basin, covered and sealed by columns and large marble slabs. It was the burial of a civilization, explains Mariotti, celebrated with “pietas,” the Latin word meaning respect and family devotion.

Excavations at the sanctuary will resume in the spring. The statues, currently under study at the restoration institute in Grosseto, will later be displayed in a new museum to be built in San Casciano dei Bagni.