Italy Cheers Discovery of Ancient Bronze Statues

Italy Cheers Discovery of Ancient Bronze Statues

Archeologists have discovered more than twenty bronze statues from ancient Roman times in Tuscany, Italy over the past few weeks. They said the statues were well protected in thermal¹ baths and are calling the discovery "exceptional²."

The statues were found in the town of San Casciano dei Bagni, about 160 kilometers north of Rome. It is a place where archaeologists have explored the ancient ruins of a bathhouse for the past three years.

Jacopo Tabolli is a professor at the University for Foreigners in Siena, Italy. He is the lead archaeologist on the project. He told Reuters on Tuesday, "It is a very significant, exceptional finding."

Tabolli said the statues represent Greco-Roman religious figures like Apollo, the god of the sun. He explained that they were used to honor a holy place before they were put into the thermal baths as part of a ceremony during the height of the Roman Empire, "probably around the 1st century AD." Tabolli said about the ceremony, "You give to the water because you hope that the water gives something back to you."

The hot waters of San Casciano helped to protect the statues, which Tabolli said were, "almost like as on the day they were immersed⁴."

There were 24 large statues and several smaller ones. And they were also covered with nearly 6,000 bronze, silver, and gold coins.

Tabolli said that the use of bronze for the statues was unusual. At that time, statues were normally made from terracotta or red clay from the earth. This suggests that the bronze statues were made by a high-level group of people.

Italy's Culture Ministry⁵ said the statues come from the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. That period was a time of great change in Tuscany as government rule moved from Etruscan to Roman.

Many conflicts and cultural exchanges happened during this time. The bathhouse of San Casciano was a safe place for those escaping unrest and war to share culture and language, the ministry said.

Gennaro Sangiuliano is Italy's Culture Minister. He welcomed the finding and said that it would help with tourism. "This is an exceptional discovery which confirms once again that Italy is a country of immense and unique treasures," Sangiuliano said in a statement.

ANSA, the Italian news agency reported that the statues will be cleaned and repaired before returning to San Casciano dei Bagi for a new museum.

Words in This Story

thermal – adj. of, relating to, or caused by heat

exceptional – adj. unusually good : much better than average

immerse³ – v. to plunge⁶ or dip into liquid

tourism – n. the practice of traveling for recreation

immense – adj. very great in size or amount

unique – adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else

museum – n. a building in which interesting and valuable things (as works of art or historical or scientific objects) are collected and shown to the public

1 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

2 exceptional   

adj.优越的，杰出的，例外的，独特的，异常的

参考例句：

• He is a man of exceptional talent.他是位具有非凡才能的人。
• He showed exceptional musical ability.他显示出特殊的音乐才能。

3 immerse   

v.使沉浸在，使深陷于；使浸没在

参考例句：

• Immerse the cloth in the dye for twenty minutes.把布浸在染料里20分钟。
• Don't immerse yourself in the infliction too long.不要长时间沉浸在痛苦经历中。

4 immersed   

浸入的，沉入的，沉思的

参考例句：

• She immersed herself in her work. 她埋头工作。
• When a body is immersed in a fluid, it apparently loses weight. 身体浸入水中就会明显减轻重量。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。