Archaeologists have uncovered a rare ancient Greek marble statue in the ancient Etruscan city of Vulci, Italy, revealing cultural ties far stronger than previously understood. The discovery, announced by teams from the University of Freiburg and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, dates back more than 2,500 years and offers fresh evidence of artistic and religious exchange across the Mediterranean.
Researchers call the sculpture extraordinary. Large Greek statues rarely appear outside Greece, and few survive in such well-preserved form. The finely carved head once belonged to a Kore, a statue type representing a young woman often associated with religious offerings or temple spaces.
Public unveiling marks a major moment for Vulci research
The Kore was presented publicly for the first time in Rome in the presence of Italy’s Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli. The event marked a key moment for the “Vulci Cityscape” project, which has been investigating the city’s urban development since 2020.
The head was found inside the remains of a monumental late-archaic temple first identified that same year. Buried beneath the soil of the Latium region for more than two millennia, the statue remained remarkably intact. Researchers say no other Greek marble sculpture recovered in Etruria matches its level of craftsmanship or detail.
A 2,500-year-old Greek Kore head has been discovered in the Etruscan city of Vulci — one of the rarest Greek sculptures ever found outside Greece.#AncientGreek #Greeksculpture pic.twitter.com/mO4JlQfUED
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) December 9, 2025
New evidence of deep Greek-Etruscan interaction
Dr. Mariachiara Franceschini of the University of Freiburg and Dr. Paul P. Pasieka of the University of Mainz, co-directors of the project, say the discovery confirms that contact between Greeks and Etruscans was broader than earlier evidence suggested. Franceschini noted that Greek pottery long shaped discussions of cross-cultural exchange, but the Kore points to a much wider movement of sculpture, skilled artisans, and religious ideas.
The statue’s features leave little doubt about its origin. The carefully arranged hairstyle, delicate facial modeling, and finely carved diadem point to an Attic workshop, likely in Athens, in the early 5th century BCE. Pasieka said the team believes the piece was crafted in Attica and imported to Etruria, signaling a level of artistic exchange rarely documented for that period.
Traces of original paint add another exceptional element. Researchers say the surviving pigments will help reconstruct the statue’s appearance and offer new insight into ancient color use.
Found within a major sacred district of Vulci
The Kore was uncovered near a temple built at the transition from the 6th to the 5th century BCE. The structure follows the Etrusco-Italic peripteral model, featuring a central cella surrounded by a colonnade inspired by Greek architecture. It stood beside the Tempio Grande, forming a prominent sacred district on Vulci’s central plateau.
Archaeologists suspect the Kore may have belonged to a larger sculptural program linked to the temple’s early history. Its placement suggests that Vulci’s political and religious elites actively embraced Greek artistic traditions. Further excavation is needed to determine its original context.
Long-term project reveals continuous activity at the site
Recent excavations have shown that the area saw activity from the Bronze Age through late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. A group of late-antique burials uncovered during the 2025 season highlights the site’s long-term importance. Upcoming research will use remote sensing, stratigraphic micro-excavation, and digital reconstruction to study how the district evolved across centuries.
The Vulci Cityscape project brings together German universities and Italian heritage authorities. It receives support from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the Gerda Henkel Foundation, and the German Research Foundation, which has funded the work since 2024.
A discovery expected to reshape Vulci’s history
The Kore head is undergoing restoration at the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome. Researchers are preparing the first scholarly studies on the find. They say the discovery will reshape understanding of archaic Vulci and may reveal that the city’s ties to the Greek world were far deeper than previously recognized.
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