Archeologists have discovered more than twenty bronze statues from ancient Roman times in Tuscany, Italy over the past few weeks.过去几周，考古学家在意大利托斯卡纳发现了20多尊古罗马时期的青铜雕像。

They said the statues were well protected in thermal baths and are calling the discovery "exceptional".他们说这些雕像在温泉浴场中得到了很好的保护，并称这一发现“罕见”。

The statues were found in the town of San Casciano dei Bagni, about 160 kilometers north of Rome.这些雕像被发现于罗马以北约160公里的圣卡西亚诺德巴格尼镇。

It is a place where archaeologists have explored the ancient ruins of a bathhouse for the past three years.过去三年里，考古学家们一直在这里探索古老的浴场遗址。

Jacopo Tabolli is a professor at the University for Foreigners in Siena, Italy.雅各布·塔博利是意大利锡耶纳外国人大学的教授。

He is the lead archaeologist on the project.他是这个项目的首席考古学家。

He told Reuters on Tuesday, "It is a very significant, exceptional finding."他在周二告诉路透社：“这是一个非常重要的罕见发现。”

Tabolli said the statues represent Greco-Roman religious figures like Apollo, the god of the sun.塔博利说这些雕像代表了希腊罗马的宗教人物，如太阳神阿波罗。

He explained that they were used to honor a holy place before they were put into the thermal baths as part of a ceremony during the height of the Roman Empire, "probably around the 1st century AD."他解释说，在罗马帝国鼎盛时期，“也就是大概在公元1世纪左右”，这些雕像被用来纪念圣地，然后作为仪式的一部分被放入温泉浴场。

Tabolli said about the ceremony, "You give to the water because you hope that the water gives something back to you."塔波利在谈到这个仪式时说：“你馈赠给水是因为你希望水能回报你一些东西。”

The hot waters of San Casciano helped to protect the statues, which Tabolli said were, "almost like as on the day they were immersed".圣卡西亚诺的温泉水帮助保护了这些雕像，塔波利说，这些雕像“几乎就像它们被浸泡在水里的那天一样”。

There were 24 large statues and several smaller ones.这些雕像里有24座大雕像和几座小雕像。

And they were also covered with nearly 6,000 bronze, silver, and gold coins.它们上面还覆盖着近6000枚铜币、银币和金币。

Tabolli said that the use of bronze for the statues was unusual.塔博利说，这些雕像用到青铜很不寻常。

At that time, statues were normally made from terracotta or red clay from the earth.当时雕像通常是由赤陶土或土壤中的红粘土制成。

This suggests that the bronze statues were made by a high-level group of people.这表明这些青铜雕像由一个高阶层群体制作而成。

Italy's Culture Ministry said the statues come from the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD.意大利文化部表示，这些雕像来自公元前2世纪和公元1世纪。

That period was a time of great change in Tuscany as government rule moved from Etruscan to Roman.这段时期是托斯卡纳发生巨变的时期，政府统治权从伊特拉斯坎人转移到罗马人。

Many conflicts and cultural exchanges happened during this time.许多冲突和文化交流都发生在这一时期。

The bathhouse of San Casciano was a safe place for those escaping unrest and war to share culture and language, the ministry said.该部门表示，圣卡西亚诺的浴场是那些逃离动乱和战争的人分享文化和语言的安全之地。

Gennaro Sangiuliano is Italy's Culture Minister.吉纳罗·桑尤利亚诺是意大利文化部长。

He welcomed the finding and said that it would help with tourism.对于这一发现他感到很愉快，并表示这将对旅游业有帮助。

"This is an exceptional discovery which confirms once again that Italy is a country of immense and unique treasures," Sangiuliano said in a statement.桑尤利亚诺在一份声明中说：“这是一个罕见的发现，它再次证实意大利是一个拥有巨大且独特宝藏的国家。”

ANSA, the Italian news agency reported that the statues will be cleaned and repaired before returning to San Casciano dei Bagi for a new museum.意大利通讯社ANSA报道称，这些雕像将被清理和修复，然后送回圣卡西亚诺德巴格尼放在新博物馆中。

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