Riace bronzes

The Riace bronzes (Italian Bronzi di Riace [ˈbrondzi di riˈaːtʃe]), also called the Riace Warriors, are two famous full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460–450 BC and found in the sea near Riace in 1972. The bronzes are currently located at the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

The bronzes are on display inside a microclimate room on top of an anti-seismic Carrara marbled platform. Along with the bronzes, the room also contains two head sculptures: “la Testa del Filosofo” and “la Testa di Basilea”, which are also from the 5^th century BC.

Although the bronzes were rediscovered in 1972, they did not emerge from conservation until 1981. Their public display in Florence and Rome was the cultural event of that year in Italy, providing the cover story for numerous magazines. Now considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated by a pair of Italian postage stamps and have also been widely reproduced.

Riace

Riace is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Catanzaro and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria. Riace borders the municipalities of Camini and Stignano.

It is especially famous as the site in which, in 1972, the Bronzi di Riace (Riace bronzes), Greek bronze statues of warriors (now in the Museo Nazionale della Magna Grecia in Reggio Calabria) were found in the sea.

It has also reached worldwide attention through its innovative approach to dealing with refugees, about 400 of whom have settled there among the 2,800 inhabitants, revitalising the village and preventing the closure of the village school. The mayor, Domenico Lucano, came second runner-up in the 2010 World Mayor competition. (The winner was the Mayor of Mexico City, which has about nine million citizens.)

References

See also