The Riace Bronzes
All images courtesy Wikimedia Commons
This caught my attention on Twitter, or X, as it is now so inelegantly named.‘In 1972, while on vacation, Stefano Mariottini, an engineer from Rome, snorkelling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace, noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand. Deciding that it was a corpse, he called the police. From the bottom of the Ionian Sea, two statues of "Warriors from Riace" were raised - ancient Greek bronze statues of the 5th century BC.’
The report is not strictly accurate. As soon as Stefano Mariottini touched the hand, he realised it was not human. On discovering a second statue, he informed the appropriate department in Reggio Calabria.
It is thought that the statues were on board a ship that sank, and were possibly en route to a local destination.
That was an amazing find and they are very well preserved.
ReplyDeleteThey are quite rare because most bronzes were melted down, apparently.
DeleteWas there further exploration to search for parts of a ship or more buried "treasure"?
ReplyDeleteNo signs of wreckage were found, but other architectural discoveries have been made. The coast is gradually 'subsiding', by which I suppose it's eroding.
DeleteInteresting pièce of information. Very well reserved artefacts.
ReplyDeleteQuite extraordinary and they were found in relatively shallow water.
DeleteWhenever I see something so amazing made such a very long time ago I wonder if we really are the first people to have inhabited the planet!
ReplyDeleteThe workmanship is astonishing.
DeleteThey are beautiful. Too good to remain buried under the sea.
ReplyDeleteQuite so.
DeleteBrave of Marioittini to touch the hand, I think!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Gail.
I don't think I would have touched it - poked it with a stick, maybe, no sticks under the sea though . . .
DeleteWow! What a find. Imagine them being lost for all those years.
ReplyDeleteIt is strange that they remained buried for so long.
DeleteAh! Yes! Reggio Calabria is a coastal city in
ReplyDeletesouthern Italy, separated from Sicily by the Strait
of Messina....When l was younger, we always went
home by train..three days and four nights trip, and
the train used to board the ferry at Reggio..and still
does..Portillo did it recently on one of his train
journeys...!
But! l wish they'd leave statues and other ancient
relics in the ground, hate all these so called
archaeologists digging up graves, dragging them
back to there countries for personal viewing....! :(
They are sacred, to the people who buried them,
and should be left alone...!
🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛🌱💛
Oh! Item on the early news...To~day is international
ice~cream day...very interesting..country who makes
the most ice~cream, is Italy..of course, who else....
The country, though, who consumes the most ice~cream,
is..is..New Zealand...! Who would have thought...! :O).
I don't mind man-made things being dug up, but I do wonder about the morality of disturbing graves. They should be left in peace. However, some graves are reused after 25-30 years.
DeleteI never found not even a thumb on the beach ! The statues are very well preserved and the models very handsome (not like the Greeks of today !)! Fortunately they were found in Italy and not in Greece, there the statues are all broken and missing arms replaced with metalrods ! I was very disappointed they don't invest a lot of money in museums and antiques. What a difference to Turkey !
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's the difference between displaying them as found and recreating lost parts.
DeleteAn amazing find and so well preserved.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful.
DeleteWhat a fascinating discovery; they are beautiful indeed.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine it? Going out for a quick snorkel and coming across these treasures - amazing.
DeleteThose statues are amazing, and how incredible that they remained buried for such a long time! xxx
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be wonderful to discover something rare and beautiful? Would we recognise it? x x x
DeleteSo pleased they were found, they are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
. . . and he wasn't even searching for them!
DeleteThese are rather magnificent statues, what a find! I have always been interested in such things. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThey are very imposing and would have carried spears and shields, but they were never found.
DeleteLovely statues and interesting history regarding them.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me laugh every time I hear X formerly known as Twitter. Why change the name when it has to be announced like that all the time. Was it out of protest?
Changing Twitter to X was a way for Musk to try and impose his will, and I suppose he has, really. 'Xing' doesn't have the same ring as 'tweeting', though! ;-)
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