San Casciano dei Bagni, the Roman sanctuary turns out to be much larger, with sacred buildings, altars and pools

Already in March 2021, an important archaeological discovery had been made in San Casciano dei Bagni: the Roman Baths Project team had discovered the remains of an excellently preserved Roman sanctuary, with sacred altars dedicated to Fortuna Primigenia, Isis as well as Apollo, and a marble statue depicting Hygieia. A few months later, in August, archaeologists led by Jacopo Tabolli, an archaeological officer of the Superintendency, and Emanuele Mariotti, a professional archaeologist with expertise in topography and geophysics applied to archaeology, had unearthed, intact, the sanctuary’s votive deposit, of which the most prominent piece was a bronze putto.

In recent weeks, however, came the real surprise, as archaeologist Jacopo Tabolli told Ansa: the true dimensions of the sanctuary, truly monumental, were discovered. "A context without equal in Italy and in the ancient Mediterranean,“ said the archaeologist. ”An exceptional discovery because of the size of the sanctuary area, much larger than we could have imagined, with several sacred buildings, altars and pools."

The latest excavations have also unearthed objects of extraordinary quality and rarity; among them, a bronze uterus dating back to the years between the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. “In Etruscan and later Roman sanctuaries dedicated to fertility, it is common to find terracotta uteri, while bronze ones are very rare,” Tabolli says. In addition to the bronze uterus, a bronze ear from the earliest years of the Empire that a certain Aulus Nonnius had dedicated to the gods to thank them for healing, a leg and a very rare penis, all in bronze, were found. And also more than three thousand coins all freshly minted; “coming out of the mint in Rome and immediately brought to St. Casciano to honor the sacredness of the place and most likely its founding moments,” the archaeologist said.

“A truly exceptional discovery that confirms the importance of this excavation and the egregious work carried out in recent years,” commented Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.

Photo: Ansa

San Casciano dei Bagni, the Roman sanctuary turns out to be much larger, with sacred buildings, altars and pools

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