The archaeologists could hardly believe their eyes as, one by one, the bronzeA brown metal made of copper and tin. statues were lifted out of the mud. They depictedShowed. gods, emperors, young men, old women and children - and they were in very good condition.

The statues were discovered in the ruins of an ancient bathhouse in San Casciano, a small hilltop town 100 miles north of Rome. It was fed by hot springs¹ which were popular in Etruscan and Roman times and still attract visitors today.

Around 6,000 gold, silver and bronze coins were found beside them, as well as religious objects. The coins are thought to have been thrown into the baths for good luck.  

Many of the statues represent figures connected with healing, such as the goddess Hygieia. Professor Jacopo Tabolli, who led the dig, thinks they may have been placed in the water by people who came to the springs to be cured. "You give to the water because you hope that the water gives something back to you," he says.

The baths were built by the EtruscansAn early people who ruled over much of Italy before being conquered by the Romans. . They fought a series of wars against the Romans until they were finally defeated in the 1st Century BC. But Professor Tabolli believes that the baths were a place where "the two worlds, the Etruscan and Roman ones, appear to have coexisted without problems".

The Romans made the baths more comfortable, and they were visited by emperors including AugustusThe first Roman emperor who ruled from 27BC to AD14. Also known as Octavian. .

In the 5th Century, the baths were sealed off by heavy stone columns. These had to be removed by Professor Tabolli's team to make the dig possible.

It is the most exciting archaeological discovery in Italy for half a century. In 1972, a diver off the south coast saw an arm sticking up from the sandy seabed. It turned out to belong to one of a pair of larger-than-life statues, now known as the Riace bronzesTwo Greek statues of warriors found in the sea near Riace, Italy, in 1972..

Yes: There has long been a debate about how far the Romans were influenced by the Etruscans. This find strongly suggests that their statues must have been inspired by Etruscan ones.  

No: We already knew from previous finds such as pottery made by the Etruscans that they were able to produce extremely sophisticated works of art. This discovery simply confirms that.

Or... "Rewriting history" suggests that there is a version that everyone has agreed on up until now. But history is about how events are interpreted, and some people will always see things differently.

Bronze - A brown metal made of copper and tin.

Depicted - Showed.

Etruscans - An early people who ruled over much of Italy before being conquered by the Romans.

Augustus - The first Roman emperor who ruled from 27BC to AD14. Also known as Octavian.

Riace bronzes - Two Greek statues of warriors found in the sea near Riace, Italy, in 1972.