Lake of the Idols

History

According to Alfredo Bresciani, the lake formed approximately 6,000 years ago (4th millennia BCE), based on radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology testing done on the lake.

The lake was used in ancient times by the Etruscans. They viewed it as a "holy spring of the river-gods" because of the healing qualities of the water, which contains a high concentration of tannin. The Etruscans would throw bronze statuettes into the lake as a form of votive offering. These statuettes depicted typically people or animals. Some artifacts in the lake depicted body parts, such as heads, arms and legs, suggesting the healing power of the lake. Other artifacts found at the lake were coins (including Etruscan aes rude), and fragments of arrow bits and pottery. It is believed that the lake was popular among soldiers based on the number of arrow fragments, and more importantly, the number of statuettes found depicting Hercle, the Etruscan version of Greek divine hero, Heracles. Artifacts found at the lake are dated between mid-6th to late-4th centuries BCE.

One of these statuettes was discovered by a local shepherdess in May 1838. The statuette was probably of Hercle, now kept in the British Museum. News of the find spread quickly, and a team of local amateur archaeologists from nearby Stia began excavating the site in June 1838. The lake was subsequently dried following several days of fruitful excavations. Over 600 statuettes and thousands of other artifacts were discovered between 1838–1839. Many of these artifacts at the time were presented to the Archaeological Institute of Rome in 1842, but without any buyers. Ultimately they were sold to a private collector, who resold them to a number of museums, notably among them the British Museum, the Hermitage Museum and the Louvre. Over time, treasure seekers looted the lake, stripping it of whatever artifacts remained within.

Official excavations were sparse following the 1838–1839 excavations. The next excavation, in 1972, led to the discovery of three artifacts within the lake. Previously, in 1971, five artifacts in the form of bronze statuettes were accidentally recovered from the site. …

Hydrology

The lake is widely perceived to be a pond, due to lack of inflow from any bodies of water, i.e. rivers and streams. Research done at the University of Florence – Faculty of Engineering suggests that there exists an underground spring that provides a continuous stream of water to the lake. It appears that the lake is sinkhole-like, sitting atop layers of sandstone.