The Rediscovered Sanctuary
An extraordinary archaeological excavation where the largest intact treasure from the Etruscan-Roman period has been discovered
Some miles from the village of San Casciano dei Bagni, in the subsoil of the famous thermal waters, one of the most precious archaeological treasures of recent times has been discovered: a large sanctuary complex from the Roman and even earlier Etruscan eras, characterized by a quadrangular building with a large central pool in travertine.
Initially, excavations focused on a specific area of the site, namely two ancient columns, bordering a private abandoned fruit and vegetable garden, detected based on the presence of a monumental building nearby.
This extraordinary discovery of the structure of the Roman sanctuary is grafted onto an even earlier construction from Etruscan times.
The hypothesis is that the main building may have been decommissioned in the early 5ᵗʰ century AD, coinciding with the rise of Christianity, but never entirely destroyed. Rather, the basins were sealed with heavy stone columns and the deities in the sanctuary dutifully left to the water.
In November 2022, it was announced that more than 24 bronze statues—five of which stand nearly 40 inches (1 meter) tall—were found in perfect condition! The find was so exceptional that it is considered the most important in Italy after the Riace Warriors in bronze, and one of the most significant in the history of the ancient Mediterranean.
The 2024, excavations unearthed a number of new bronze treasures, including various statues accompanied by coins, crowns and jewelry.
Particularly thrilling is the discovery of a ‘slither’ of bronze snakes at the point where the water gushed out, among them a specimen almost 40 inches (1 meter) long, safeguarding the spring and playing a fundamental role in divinatory practices, as can be observed in many other ancient Mediterranean contexts. Also particularly striking was a statue of a child: a small priest from the late second century BC, with an extensive Etruscan inscription on his right leg and a ball in hand that still rotates between his fingers. Perhaps this too was a divinatory element, to be rotated as part of a ritual.
This unique treasure is accompanied by an incredible number of inscriptions in Etruscan and Latin, to which are added various interesting votive offerings such as organs and anatomical parts that correspond to the parts of the body for which healing interventions were sought from the deities.
The wonders found during the excavations will be housed in a new museum set to be built in a 16ᵗʰ-century palazzo in the historic center of San Casciano dei Bagni, to which a fully-fledged archaeological park will be added in the future.
The Rediscovered Sanctuary—Santuario Ritrovato in italian—can be visited thanks to tours organized by the Archaeological Group of the Municipality of San Casciano dei Bagni.
