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Study Suggests Etruscan Statue's Black Coating May Be Original
Archaeology Magazine ^ | October 16, 2026 | editors / unattributed

Posted on 10/20/2026 9:58:53 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

A bronze statue of an Etruscan man wearing a toga found in 1567 may have been deliberately turned black some 2,200 years ago, according to the Greek Reporter. Historical accounts of the discovery indicate that the sculpture was green when it was unearthed. It had been previously thought that the statue, known as the Arringatore ("Orator") of Pila, turned black over time through a natural corrosion process. Conservators, including Salvatore Siano of the Institute of Applied Physics "Nello Carrara" and Sonia Mugnaini of the University of Siena, removed brown coatings on the statue, and found smooth, nearly black areas on the sculpture's face, hair, clothing, and arm. The researchers analyzed 15 samples of these black patches with microscopy, X-rays, and Raman spectroscopy. They identified tenorite, a dark copper oxide, over a red layer of cuprite, another copper oxide, in several of the samples. These layers of patina are thought to have been produced by heating, although the scientists were not able to reconstruct the process. X-rays also revealed that the sculpture was assembled from eight hollow sections. Originally, it likely had glass-paste eyes as well, the researchers concluded. Read the original scholarly article about this research in the journal Heritage. To read about 14 Etruscan bronze sculptures recovered from a sanctuary site in Tuscany, go to "Sacred Spring," one ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2023.

(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: etruscans; godsgravesglyphs

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Three views of the Arringatore statue after restoration in 2008
Siano et al. 2026, Heritage
Siano et al. 2026, Heritage

1 posted on 10/20/2026 9:58:53 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 10/20/2026 9:59:28 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (TDS -- it's not just for DNC shills and jihadists anymore -- oh, wait, yeah it is.)
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To: SunkenCiv

We’ll never hear the end of this now. Just more fuel for all the afrocentric nuts claiming the Etruscans were black.


3 posted on 10/20/2026 10:07:43 PM PDT by sunny bonobo
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To: SunkenCiv

Racists, making statues in black face.


4 posted on 10/20/2026 10:38:30 PM PDT by Nachoman (Proudly oppressing people of color since 1957.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Hail SunkenCiv: grateful for your SO MANY wonderful posts over time. I’ve never heard of this stunning work.
Also, I enjoy going thru the Thomas Cole paintings in your bio; he was such a talent indeed. Thank you.


5 posted on 10/21/2026 12:25:36 AM PDT by InkStone (ONLY returning to Faith in God, thru Jesus Yeshua, will save America)
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To: SunkenCiv; SaveFerris; Kenny Bania; Ezekiel

Looks like it is hand-gesturing to “stop.”

Must be a statue of limitations.


6 posted on 10/21/2026 12:37:07 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait.)
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To: Larry Lucido; SunkenCiv; Rennes Templar; InkStone
The researchers analyzed 15 samples of these black patches with microscopy, X-rays, and Raman spectroscopy.

The discovery came only after they had noodled around with 'Japanese' technology.

This concerns

A bronze statue of an Etruscan man wearing a toga found in 1567...

Apparently thrift shops are nothing new. I didn't know that St. Vincent de Pila had been around for so long.

7 posted on 10/21/2026 2:21:54 AM PDT by Ezekiel (🆘️ "Come fly with US". 🔴 Ingenuity -- because the Son of David begins with MARS ♂️, aka every man)
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To: SunkenCiv

Perhaps the statue was owned by a rich Ethiopian merchant.
Or not...


8 posted on 10/21/2026 3:24:03 AM PDT by Doctor Congo
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To: SunkenCiv
Allius Jolsonius
9 posted on 10/21/2026 3:33:50 AM PDT by Adder ("A pack of jackasses led by a lion is superior to a pack of lions led by a jackass.” GW.)
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To: sunny bonobo

Meaningless. The whole thing MIGHT have been sprayed black.

Sounds like a decorating issue to me.


10 posted on 10/21/2026 4:02:53 AM PDT by Chickensoup
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To: SunkenCiv
It might be a phony.


11 posted on 10/21/2026 4:27:38 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: SunkenCiv

Isn’t tenorite a by-product of oxidation...?

Per AI, sourced to the MOMA...

“Because of this, tenorite commonly appears as a dull black crust or patina coating other minerals in copper mining districts.”


12 posted on 10/21/2026 4:52:12 AM PDT by mewzilla (Swing away, Mr. President, swing away! 🇺🇸 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿)
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To: Larry Lucido

They had immigration problems even back then..................


13 posted on 10/21/2026 5:30:51 AM PDT by Red Badger (Iryna Zarutska, May 22, 2002 Kyiv, Ukraine – August 22, 2025 Charlotte, North Carolina Say her name)
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