From his privileged observatory as director of the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria Fabrizio Sudano follows with great attention the scientific debate around the Riace Bronzes which, recently, has fueled new hypotheses both on the identification of the statues and on their discovery. «The academic dispute is a well-known practice. We certainly won’t find out now with the latest controversy over the Riace Bronzes”, begins director Sudano. And he continues: «For centuries, archaeologists have argued, for example, over the chronology of temples, over the stylistic attributions of a vase to one painter or master over another, just as art historians have clashed over the attributions of sculptures and paintings to one school or workshop over another. Not to mention our wonderful Riace Bronzes: before the last “Sicilian” theory there were a few dozen different interpretations and, among the scholars who have tried their hand, undisputed masters of Italian and foreign archeology stand out. We can say with absolute certainty and with the greatest certainty that we will not be contradicted that, to date, and including the latest study, none of these theories has prevailed over the others or has completely satisfied the scientific community. Indeed, everyone continued and continues to follow their own path, not admitting criticism or obvious gaps or inaccuracies.”
How does the Museum deal with new theories on the Bronzes?
«As a museum institution that is responsible for protecting and valorising these absolute masterpieces of the Bronzes, whether we like it or not, we are called to communicate to the general public exclusively theses and historical reconstructions that enjoy a broad and shared consensus within the international scientific community. Our duty is to avoid feeding premature or unconsolidated readings, guaranteeing a serious, authoritative and reliable point of reference. In this sense, few certainties have been acquired so far from official papers and judicial proceedings. The Bronzes were discovered in 1972 in the waters off Riace and have been kept in our Museum since 1982. This more than fifty-year bond has allowed our institution to develop a continuous path of study, protection and valorization, supported by a long tradition of scientific research and an international network of specialists. It is also on these bases that the Museum bases its role as a reference in the historical narrative and in the dissemination of knowledge related to the statues. In recent years we have further strengthened this commitment.”
What is the state of health of the Bronzes?
«Last year the Bronzes underwent a major restoration operation and a complete check up conducted with the most advanced diagnostic tools available for scientific research. These activities have allowed us to refine our knowledge of their state of conservation and the raw materials used, confirming the importance of scheduled maintenance based on rigorous scientific protocols. At the same time, new analyzes are underway on melting earths, a field of research that in recent years has acquired a central, yet often inconclusive, role in studies on the provenance of large ancient bronzes. This is work that requires collaboration, transparency and an interdisciplinary approach: for this reason the Museum is open to the involvement of qualified Italian and international research bodies, so that each result is the fruit of a broad and scientifically robust process of comparison. This commitment comes at a particularly significant moment for the Museum. We are in fact among the protagonists of the first major national project for the digitization of cultural heritage financed by the Pnrr: over 12,000 Museum assets have been digitized, and the project has created a platform shared with other Calabrian archaeological museums. We were also winners of a Pnrr project dedicated precisely to our two masterpieces with the significant title “Masterpiece Box: Riace Bronzes at 360°” which contemplates the use of Artificial Intelligence powered by everything scientific that has been produced in the last 52 years on the two statues. It will be a unique opportunity to make an organic, updated and open archive available to the scientific community and the public, which collects materials, studies and data on the discovery, restoration and exhibition”.
The history of the Bronzes, their journey in the Mediterranean, the techniques with which they were made and the ways in which they reached the seabed are themes that will continue to stimulate research for a long time.
«Until solid evidence is available, the result of analyzes shared and published according to international standards, the Museum will continue to maintain a cautious position respectful of the scientific method. Our task remains that of protecting, studying and describing the Riace Bronzes with the utmost fidelity to the evidence. The statues represent a very strong identity symbol for Calabria and a cultural reference recognized worldwide. Every new research will be able to contribute to an even more complete knowledge of these extraordinary works and the Museum will continue to give space to what is based on solid and verifiable evidence, respecting the scientific rigor that has always guided our mission. In a context often crossed by suggestive and sometimes imaginative theories, the Museum represents the defense of historical truth, the barrier between research and imagination. Safeguarding the Bronzes also means safeguarding the correctness of their story: only in this way does the heritage become shared knowledge, not a manipulable myth.”