Bronze Artifacts Discovered in Tuscany Reveal Healing Facilities Showing Medical Expertise of Ancient Etruscans

Located in southern Tuscany, Italy is an archaeological site which is also one of the region's most popular spa destinations. This small village is known across the world for its thermal springs which are believed to have healing effects. A recent excavation has also revealed that this site is also rich in historical artifacts that reveal cultural crossroads.

(Photo : Wikimedia Commons/ AlMare)

Find of the Century

In the autumn of 2022, field director Emanuele Mariotti and his team revealed to the public the spectacular relics they discovered while excavating at the ancient thermal baths at San Casciano dei Bagni. Scholars and archaeologists were astonished by the abundance of artifacts composed of over two dozen bronze statues and busts.

The artistic value of the bronze items is undeniable, but what makes the discovery so important is the fact that the objects are exactly as they were left when the village was closed around 5th century C.E. The items also showed remarkable states of preservation from being covered by a blanket of airtight muck. Mariotti calls it "the find of the century", since it could be the most significant discovery in the Mediterranean region thus far in the 21st century.

Many of the discovered items are inscribed in Etruscan or Latin, believed to be contemporary to each other. There are also bear inscriptions from prominent families who survived Roman conquest.

The team also recovered bronze anatomical figures of hands, feet, ears, internal organs, and viscera. These peculiar finds suggest that San Casciano was more than just a site where worshippers petitioned the gods.

Site of Healing

Mariotti and his colleagues believe the artifacts prove that for almost a thousand years, those who came to the village were visiting an established center of medicine in the hopes of being cured. The healing came not just by divine intervention, but by skilled medics with knowledge of human anatomy as well as the healing properties of the hot mineral water that bubbles up all over the valley.

Ancient texts speak of the skills of Etruscans in using medicinal plants, many of which are still known to us today. Some of these include valerian for insomnia and eczema, gentian for digestive problems, and feverfew for treating inflammation and pain.

Archaeological records also reveal the use of surgical instruments like specula, cupping vessels, knives, spatula, and obstetrical instruments. Even encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus described operations like limb amputation and bladder stone removal.

Aside from the understanding of Roman and Etruscan medical expertise, ancient records also document the association of thermal sites and springs with healing. Such wisdom may have been gleaned by the Romans from the Etruscans.

The healing facilities would be placed next to cult sites, a reflection of how faith and medicine were intertwined in the minds of ancient people. This indicates that hot springs would have logically been places for seeking healing and making divine offerings. The healing pilgrimage may also include the patient giving an initial offering in supplication, and also a vow to make another offering if healing was obtained.

The bronze items discovered at San Casciano also show that both supplication and thanksgiving were offered. Anatomical parts, like the uterus model suggest worshippers may have been asking for pregnancy or safe childbirth. Meanwhile, bronze feet, hands, and ears may have been left as a plea to the gods to cure specific parts of the body, or a more symbolic spiritual entreaty to be touched by, walked with, or heard by the deities.