Curiosity of Retired Janitor Leads to Discovery of Ancient Statues in Italy

A collection of ancient statues, considered one of the most significant archaeological finds in Italy in recent decades, will be displayed this month. Italian officials credit the discovery of these statues, which date back to the Etruscan and Ancient Roman civilizations, largely to the curious instinct of a retired janitor. According to Reuters, about 22 bronze statues from the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD, which were extracted from the mud of the ruins of an ancient bathhouse in Tuscany, will be showcased at the Quirinal Palace in Rome starting June 22. The ancient baths are located atop the hill of San Casciano dei Bagni in southern Tuscany, Italy - May 29, 2023. When this discovery was announced last November, experts deemed it the largest collection of ancient bronze statues ever found in Italy and praised it as a significant achievement for 'rewriting history.' These statues were discovered in the years 2021 and 2022 in a village atop the hill of San Casciano dei Bagni, which is still a site of popular hot springs in Italy. Archaeologists had long suspected that ancient ruins could be found in this area, although their initial efforts were unsuccessful. Anise Carletti, the mayor of San Casciano, stated that excavations began in 2019 on a small plot of land next to the Renaissance-era public baths of the village, but after weeks of digging, 'only traces of some walls' appeared. Shortly after, Stefano Petrini, a retired janitor and local amateur historian, recalled seeing parts of ancient Roman columns on a wall across from the public baths years ago. These columns could only be seen from the side of an abandoned garden that once belonged to Petrini's late friend, a greengrocer from San Casciano. When Petrini took the archaeologists there, they knew they had found the right place to dig. Petrini told Reuters, 'Everything started from there, from the columns.' Petrini hopes that the discovery of these ancient treasures will bring 'jobs, culture, and knowledge' to his village of 1,500 residents, which, like many rural areas in Italy, is struggling with population decline.