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Bronze snakes, statues, two gold crowns, jewellery, thousands of coins and perfectly intact eggs are among the latest remarkable discoveries to emerge from the site of an ancient thermal spa in a small town in Tuscany.
The trove had been preserved by the warm waters and mud at the springs, believed to have been built by the Etruscans in the second century BC, in San Casciano dei Bagni, a hilltop town close to Siena.
The site, which was a place of worship for the Etruscan people and later the Romans, has been under excavation since 2019, with the first finds – 24 bronze statues, mostly dedicated to the gods – unearthed three years later.
The latest relics were found by a team of archaeologists, led by Jacopo Tabolli, at a depth of almost 5 metres in the Bagno Grande pool, into which the spa-goers would throw votive offerings.
The collection of bronze male and female figures included one of a male body cut in half and offered up as a votive by a certain Gaius Roscius.
A 1-metre long bearded snake believed to represent Agathos, or Good Spirit, was among the trove of bronze serpents.
Tabolli, who in the town is known as Indiana Jones, said the site delivers “infinite surprises”.
The spa was made more opulent during the Roman period, when it was frequented by emperors including Augustus, and remained in use until the 5th century AD before being closed down, but not destroyed, during Christian times. The pools were sealed with heavy stone pillars and the divine statues were left in the water, which was rich in minerals, including calcium and magnesium. The water was considered good for the liver, for treating facial pain and for helping with fertility.
The discoveries will eventually go on display in a museum due to open in San Casciano dei Bagni in late 2026.