San Casciano is not Riace but the finding of the bronzes is exceptional

TO San Casciano di Bagni, at the bottom of a Roman basin, 24 Roman bronzes have been found. An exceptional find, defined as “the most important since the discovery of the Riace bronzes” and which according to experts will revolutionize the history of Etruscan and Roman statuary. Let us try to better understand the extent of this discovery and its effects on archaeological studies with Valentino Nizzo, director of the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia. First of all, a distinction must be made between artistic and archaeological value. “The discovery in itself would not be exceptional considering the other Etruscan bronzes we know. The fact that for the first time, in a modern excavation, finds come to light within its own context. We have examples of Etruscan votive finds but they all occurred in times where there was no such sensitivity towards an image of the whole. Many places have been looted but in this case not, which allows for the development of new studies ”.