ROME, ITALY—According to a Reuters report, the warm mud at the site of an ancient thermal bath in central Italy’s town of San Casciano dei Bagni has yielded statues, coins, jewels, eggs and eggshells, and twigs decorated with plants and pine cones. These are the latest finds from the site, where archaeologists have been excavating since 2019. The Roman baths were built over an older sanctuary used by the Etruscans as early as the third century B.C. The objects, including a bronze statue of a man that had been cut in half lengthwise, a gold crown and ring, and snake sculptures, are thought to have been deposited as offerings. One of the snake sculptures measures about one yard long, and is thought to represent Agathos Daimon, a bearded, snakelike deity who may have been responsible for protecting the water source. To read about bronze sculptures uncovered previously at the site, go to "Sacred Spring," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2023.
