Garbage Man Helps Researchers Find Ancient Statues
2023-06-14
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1A major discovery of ancient art in Italy will go on show this month in the capital, Rome.
2Researchers found the more than 2000-year-old Etruscan and Roman statues in the area of Tuscany.
3Italy is opening the works to public view at the city's Quirinale Palace starting on June 22.
4A retired garbage man helped in the discovery of the statues, which lay in mud at the ruins of an ancient spa.
5Italian scientists announced the find in November.
6Experts called it the biggest collection of ancient bronze statues ever found in Italy.
7Some said it was a major finding that would "rewrite history."
8Researchers found the statues in 2021 and 2022 in the village of San Casciano dei Bagni.
9The village still has public baths in operation today.
10Researchers had long suspected ancient ruins could be discovered at the site.
11The first few attempts to locate the ancient baths, however, were unsuccessful.
12Then former garbage man and amateur local historian Stefano Petrini had an idea.
13He remembered that years earlier he had seen bits of ancient Roman columns on a wall on the other side of the public baths.
14When Petrini took researchers to the place, they knew they had found the right spot.
15"It all started from there, from the columns," Petrini said.
16Emanuele Mariotti is head of the San Casciano archaeological project.
17He said his team had been getting "quite desperate" for evidence when Petrini's information came through.
18They discovered a shrine at the center of the ancient spa complex.
19The statues found there were offerings from Romans and Etruscans who looked to the gods for good health.
20One of the most amazing finds was the so-called "scrawny boy," a statue about 90 centimeters high, of a young Roman with a bone disease.
21A small piece of writing has his name as "Marcius Grabillo."
22Italian culture ministry archaeologist Ada Salvi said the muddy statue looked like the representation of an athlete.
23But, the expert saw it differently after the piece had been completely cleaned.
24"...It was clear that it was that of a sick person," Salvi said.
25More unusual offerings were also among smaller objects in the discovery.
26These include egg shells, pine cones, medical tools and a 2,000-year-old piece of hair.
27"There's a whole world of meaning that has to be understood and studied," Salvi said of the finds.
28Workers permanently closed the spa about 1600 years ago.
29The warm mud of the baths protected the statues.
30Digging will begin again in late June.
31Mariotti said more ancient objects are sure to be found in the coming years.
32The experts say they may find another six or 12 statues noted in a document found at the site.
33The archaeologists think that it may have been left by Marcius Grabillo.
34"We've only just lifted the lid," Mariotti said.
35After the Rome showing, the statues and other objects are expected to be given a home at a new site back in San Casciano.
36Retiree Petrini hopes the treasures will bring "jobs, culture and knowledge" to his village, which is struggling with depopulation like much of rural Italy.
37But he does not want to take credit for the discovery.
38"Important things always happen thanks to several people, never thanks to only one," he said. "Never."
39I'm John Russell.
1A major discovery of ancient art in Italy will go on show this month in the capital, Rome. Researchers found the more than 2000-year-old Etruscan and Roman statues in the area of Tuscany. 2Italy is opening the works to public view at the city's Quirinale Palace starting on June 22. 3A retired garbage man helped in the discovery of the statues, which lay in mud at the ruins of an ancient spa. 4Italian scientists announced the find in November. Experts called it the biggest collection of ancient bronze statues ever found in Italy. Some said it was a major finding that would "rewrite history." 5Researchers found the statues in 2021 and 2022 in the village of San Casciano dei Bagni. The village still has public baths in operation today. Researchers had long suspected ancient ruins could be discovered at the site. 6The first few attempts to locate the ancient baths, however, were unsuccessful. 7Then former garbage man and amateur local historian Stefano Petrini had an idea. He remembered that years earlier he had seen bits of ancient Roman columns on a wall on the other side of the public baths. 8When Petrini took researchers to the place, they knew they had found the right spot. 9"It all started from there, from the columns," Petrini said. 10Emanuele Mariotti is head of the San Casciano archaeological project. He said his team had been getting "quite desperate" for evidence when Petrini's information came through. They discovered a shrine at the center of the ancient spa complex. 11The statues found there were offerings from Romans and Etruscans who looked to the gods for good health. 12One of the most amazing finds was the so-called "scrawny boy," a statue about 90 centimeters high, of a young Roman with a bone disease. A small piece of writing has his name as "Marcius Grabillo." 13Italian culture ministry archaeologist Ada Salvi said the muddy statue looked like the representation of an athlete. But, the expert saw it differently after the piece had been completely cleaned. 14"...It was clear that it was that of a sick person," Salvi said. 15More unusual offerings were also among smaller objects in the discovery. These include egg shells, pine cones, medical tools and a 2,000-year-old piece of hair. 16"There's a whole world of meaning that has to be understood and studied," Salvi said of the finds. 17More Treasures 18Workers permanently closed the spa about 1600 years ago. The warm mud of the baths protected the statues. 19Digging will begin again in late June. Mariotti said more ancient objects are sure to be found in the coming years. The experts say they may find another six or 12 statues noted in a document found at the site. The archaeologists think that it may have been left by Marcius Grabillo. 20"We've only just lifted the lid," Mariotti said. 21After the Rome showing, the statues and other objects are expected to be given a home at a new site back in San Casciano. 22Retiree Petrini hopes the treasures will bring "jobs, culture and knowledge" to his village, which is struggling with depopulation like much of rural Italy. 23But he does not want to take credit for the discovery. 24"Important things always happen thanks to several people, never thanks to only one," he said. "Never." 25I'm John Russell. 26Alvise Armellini reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 27_____________________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29spa - n. a place where people go to improve their health by swimming or bathing 30column - n. a long post made of stone that is used as a support 31archaeological - adj. relating to archaeology, a science that deals with past human life and activities by studying the bones or tools of ancient people 32desperate - adj. having little or no hope 33scrawny - adj. very thin in a way that is not healthy