The famous statue was found by chance during agricultural works in Capestrano in 1934 . The exceptional discovery started a series of archaeological investigations that led to the identification of other sculptural fragments, such as the female bust now known as the " Lady of Capestrano ", another male bust, later auctioned and purchased for a private collection, and two lithic bases, as well as 33 tombs.
The proximity of the fragments to tomb 3 , a pit, with its rich and partly dispersed grave goods and the peculiar orientation of this burial with respect to the others, has led to the hypothesis that the tomb could belong to a high-ranking figure, which was enclosed by a mound or from a circle of stones and that the statues had the function of decorating the burial. The sculptural characteristics of the Warrior and the Lady lead us to consider them not only as works produced on commission by the same artist but also as part of a single sculptural group depicting characters from the same family nucleus that owns the tomb.
The statue, exceptionally preserved in its entirety and with visible traces of coloring, is made of local limestone and represents a standing male figure, with feet resting on a lithic base and framed laterally by two pillars up to shoulder height. The Warrior wears a tòrque around his neck, armilles, a miter supported by a belt tightened along the hips, to protect the belly, and finally shoes. The pre-eminent social role is highlighted by the detailed depiction of defense and offensive weapons and symbols of power. Defense weapons include the large, broad-brimmed parade helmet with a crest of feathers, and armor discs worn on the chest and back. Between the folded arms, one on the chest and the other on the waist, there are the offensive weapons: the long sword, known as the “Capestrano” type and a knife that was used to keep the edge of the sword sharp. The handles of both weapons are decorated with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic friezes. Weapons of offense are also the spears with the point pointing up depicted on the side pillars. The ax held with the right hand could recall the religious and power functions prerogative of the leaders.
The statue also has an epigraph , vertically engraved on one of the pillars, inside a red band. The text identifies the character as Nevio Pomp (uled) i , most likely qualifying him as king. According to the technical, stylistic and epigraphic characteristics it is possible to date the Capestrano warrior to the first half of the 6th century BC.
The good preservation of the red color of the Warrior and the Lady suggests that the statues were not exposed to the elements for long and that the fractures and gaps in the lower area of the monument are attributable to an intentional act of destruction to operate a sort of damnatio memoriae .

One of the most sensational finds from the sanctuary of Hercules Curino in Sulmona is represented by the small bronze statue of Heracles , found in the excavations of the temple on the upper terrace together with the equally small marble statue of Hercules Cubans . The hero with the muscular body of an athlete is represented in mature age, standing, with a thick bristly beard, leaning on the club from which the leontè hangs, his left arm abandoned, while the right is bent behind his back to support the lost apples of the Hesperides, probably in gold. The head could have been surrounded by a crown of silver fronds also lost. Further color effects were achieved by the rendering of the eyes with the enamel and also thanks to the same casting technique, with lost wax, in which the copper content was higher in the areas destined to take on a different color (lips, nipples).
The extraordinary testimony offered by the bronzetto consists in faithfully reproducing, in small dimensions (39 cm high), a work by Lysippos (4th century BC), known from three iconographic types and from numerous replicas. Among these, the Heracles of Sulmona can be considered among those of the highest quality, "an author's replica" which could also date back to the third century. B.C
The circular base, in a different bronze alloy, bears the inscription in silver agemina: M (arcus) Attius Peticius Marsus v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito). The dedication, dated to the first years of the first century. AD, documents the gift to Heracles by a character belonging to the gens Peticia , known from the Augustan age for commercial traffic in the Mediterranean and attested by inscriptions in the Peligna area from the 1st century BC. BC up to the fourth century. AD The bronze statue dedicated by Peticio Marso is therefore configured as a gift that is all the more precious as it is an "antique" of excellent workmanship.

The colossal statue of Hercules was found on the morning of June 28, 1960 in a chapel during the excavations in the spa area of the city of Alba Fucens. Hercules, in Pentelic marble, with an exceptional height of 2.40 meters, is represented seated on a sadly lost seat, holding a patera with his left hand raised and with his right clutching a lost object, which in all probability can be reconstructed as a club facing down. The face is characterized by a thick beard worked with symmetrical locks. On the forehead a crown of olive leaves is visible, which may allude to participation in the banquet, or rather of laurel, a symbol of victory. The leontè that invariably characterizes the hero must have been represented around the left arm and the hips, but according to other hypotheses a cloak could have been wrapped. This, together with the crown of laurel leaves, could be the expression of a “Roman” interpretation through the reference to the model of the invictus . Traditionally, however, through a series of comparisons with small and medium-sized statues depicting the god in a similar pose and thanks to the literary texts of Latin authors such as Stazio and Marziale, the statue is identified with the representation of Hercules called Epitrapezios , "at the table" ( trápeza in ancient Greek), according to a model developed by Lysippos and attributed to the second half of the 4th century BC
The sculptor from Sicyon, with a profoundly innovative choice for his time, loved to represent his subjects "not as they are, but as they appear to the eye" (Pliny the Elder). By reproducing their outward appearance, Lysippus also suggested the psychological and emotional implications of his characters at the same time. In the canonization of artistic genres during the Roman age, if the works of Polykleitos become a source of inspiration for the representation of divinities, Lysippus provides the models for heroes and ideal types (the hero, the philosopher, the man of letters, etc.), while the sculptors are inspired by Praxiteles for the representation of figures of men.
According to some, the small dimensions of many replicas of Heracles justify the epithet of Epitrapezios assigned to the subject by the writers, because they were made to be placed "on the table". In most cases, the hero is represented with his head twisting slightly upwards, rather than looking downwards. The stature and posture of our Hercules not only presuppose a variant of the statuary type in large dimensions, but also suggest that the statue was a cult simulacrum, seated on a rock or rather on a throne, and that it was intended to be admired. bottom up. The club itself is held by the god like a scepter of power. In this case, the title of Epitrapezios could depend on the offerings of food and drink given to him, placed by the devotees, the cultores Herculis , on the table-trápeza . The fact that the back of the Hercules of Alba is not finished also suggests that the statue was leaning against a wall of the chapel in which it was found, suggestively compressed in the narrow colonnaded space.
Hercules constitutes a very common subject in figurative representations throughout antiquity due to the universal myth that he embodies: the hero is the paradigm of mortal man who reaches apotheosis through his works and thus finds redemption from death.
Generally the work is considered an expression of the neo-attic currents of the first century. BC active in late Republican Rome and in the Augustan age, characterized by the production of works inspired by Greek sculptural models of the V-IV century. BC There was, however, also the proposal to recognize in the statue a certain baroque pathetism that would refer to the artistic currents parchments and rodie workers of the II-I century. B.C

Standing virile statue, the execution of the toga is remarkable. The balteus; crosses the chest obliquely and covers the right side; in the center there is a fold, called umbo , wide and slightly swollen, while a second fold, the sinus , characterized by thin parallel folds, leaves the right knee uncovered. The body rests its weight on the right leg and unloads it on the left; the arms are folded, the left hand, with a ring on the ring finger, holds a roll. On the left there must have been a cylindrical capsa (container), of which part of the lid is preserved. The statue is remarkably executed, especially in the drapery. Based on the soft treatment of the latter, the refinement of the execution and the use of a different marble, perhaps Greek, unlike the other sculptures from the same context; it is proposed to be assigned to a neo-attic workshop .
The richly draped toga completely envelops the figure. The workmanship of the toga fabric reveals a certain attention to the rendering of chiaroscuro and there is a certain tendency to search for naturalness in the design of the folds.

The statue is a rare replica in full of Polykleitos' Discophore as can be seen in the contrast between the upper and lower limbs, in fact the parts in tension and those in rest correspond according to an opposing scheme.
Also in the sculpture by Foruli the solution was reached of bringing together, in a single statue, both the sense of movement and that of stasis. The head was replaced in antiquity with a portrait from the Julio-Claudian period.
The character is represented in heroic nudity. The body is slender and athletic with a careful attention to plasticity, while the head forcibly adapted to the body, shows a full youthful face. The young man was probably a member of an important local gens , according to the custom of passing on the representations of its members through a heterogeneous statuary group, placed in a public building to constitute an example of bourgeois evergetism in the municipal area. It is almost certainly the same gens who built the building in which the statue was found and who celebrated their family members there.

The figure depicted, in ideal nudity , has a cloak gathered on the left shoulder that falls on the bent arm, while the right is raised.
The balteo that surrounds it emphasizes its belonging to the military class . The juxtaposition of a realistic face, anything but attractive and youthful, discordant with the naked body, powerful and vigorous , inspired instead by classical models, is a clear intention of political-propaganda self-affirmation. The sculptures in heroic nudity concerning characters belonging to the military class are widespread mainly from the post-Sillan period to the Augustan age. The iconographic scheme with policletei elements, according to the Hellenistic schemes, and the ideological message that we want to convey are due to a need for self-celebration of the local class of merchants, which it had acquired and re-proposed for its own clients. Most likely it is the same gens who built the building in which the statue was found and who celebrated their family members there.
From the middle of the II century a. C the process of formation of neo -attic culture comes to maturity due to the circulation of Attic artists in late republican Rome, which creates a figurative tradition based on a classicist vein where Hellenistic-Roman elements coexist.

Head of a mature man , marked by deep wrinkles on the forehead and on the sides of the mouth, tightened in a grave expression . The head has strong links with the sculpture of late Hellenism, as can be seen from the treatment of the eyebrows and wrinkles, which underline the softly plastic rendering of the model. The gaze is turned upwards and expresses a deep inner energy together with an idealization characterized by a certain pathos . Some assonances have been glimpsed with Silla's representations, but more likely it is a private representation due to a commission from the local ruling class, who preferred Hellenistic pathos in addition to Roman realism.
The profile, in the torsion of the head, underlines a realism in the physiognomic features, especially in the rendering of the wrinkles and in the slightly frowned and tense expression of the face, somehow alluding to the commitment dispensed by the character depicted in the civic sphere.
In the head-portrayed by Alba Fucens the veristic individualism of the face probably suggests the existence of sculptors' workshops in Alba Fucens itself.

The head returns the image of a young man , with a broad face and regular features. Furrows are outlined along the cheeks that descend towards the nose and mouth. The portrait shows affinities with the iconography of the emperor Claudius , but the similarity could also be simply due to the ambition, on the part of local characters not known beyond the borders of their cities, to resemble the emperor.
The image of the emperors has spread in society as a voluntary adherence to the ideology of the principality , as can be seen in the private portraits. This private production responded to the need to legitimize the social success of individuals and to their need to publicly communicate a winning image, perhaps acquiring the benevolence of the emperor.
In this portrait you can see the characteristics of the iconography of the emperor Claudius, such as the protruding eyes , the ears wide and detached from the skull and the hair , which following the fashion of the time, goes down to the nape, limiting the forehead with a sort of fringe and stretch on the temples up to the ears with locks with divergent tips , so as to frame the upper part of the face.
The portrait moves away from the strong classicist idealization of the previous age in a superficial form freed from a true formal research. This is most likely the product of a local workshop . In the head-portrayed by Alba Fucens the veristic individualism of the face probably suggests the existence of sculptors' workshops in Alba Fucens itself .

The statuette depicts the deity Osiris , god of the underworld, represented standing and with the appearance of a mummy. The anatomical forms are modeled with a summary volume, simulating the bandaging effect. On his head he wears the atef crown - an elongated headdress, characterized by ostrich feathers on the sides, decorated with engraved lines - on which stands the ureus, the cobra symbol of pharaonic royalty. The two ostrich feathers are a symbol of justice and fairness, as the god is also revered as the supreme judge .
The features of the face are not clearly visible due to the poor state of conservation, even if it is possible to recognize the false beard, with a curved end, which is a symbol of divine power . The arms are folded towards the chest and the slightly offset hands hold the heqa scepter on one side and the nekhekh flagellum on the other. This pose makes it possible to ascribe the find to the Lower-Egyptian type. In fact, the way in which the hands are crossed on the god's chest is considered a clue to establish the geographical origin of the statuettes: the overlapping wrists indicate an origin from Upper Egypt; the opposing fists from Middle Egypt; the hands slightly offset from Lower Egypt.
The back is patterned, but not decorated. Under the feet the statuette is provided with a tenon , in order to be able to hold it straight.

Cuirass in bronze sheet with three discs , consisting of two elements, the pectoral , originally worn on the bust , and the humeral , positioned on the shoulders . The armor consists of a plate with three cantilevered discs , two at the top and one at the bottom. The foil is folded forward and cut in a zigzag pattern on the top, straight edge. In correspondence with the lateral hooks and in the upper central part, each disc is decorated with embossed studs. The straps are rectangular foil, attached by hinges connected by rings.
Three-disc cuirasses, which are generally considered an evolution of orientalizing and archaic cuirass disks (late 8th century BC-late 5th century BC), are found mainly in southern Abruzzo , but rarely come from excavation contexts.
The tomb came to light in 1969 on the southern outskirts of Spoltore, in the locality of Casaccio, on the occasion of the works for the reconstruction of the sports field. The incomplete set included vases (olletta and situla) and a bronze colander, black varnished vases ( skyphos and lekythos ) and impasto and a bronze band belt of the Samnite type.

The fibula was an indispensable item of clothing , used in ancient times to fasten clothes.
This fibula has a configured arch , on which a chariot is represented, pulled by a long-horned bovid . On the back of the ox there is a human figurine represented with the legs apart, the arms outstretched and the hands marked by the incision of the fingers: with the right he holds a short spear and with the left he guides an adult deer with the muzzle tightened by a snare. On the chariot there is a dog with straight ears and tail turned towards the back, and a second figure in a dominant position , with a decorated shield and a scepter; on the outside of the wagon, vertically on the rear part of the wheel, another dog is depicted with its tail lowered. The human figures have massive, oblong heads bearing parallel incisions.
Different interpretations have been given of the representation: it could be a deer hunting scene, but the chariot pulled by the ox could also allude to the journey of the deceased to the afterlife in a sort of ceremonial parade with the intent of "heroisation" of the character . Alternatively, you can read the scene as a sacrifice in which the priest casts out demons and evils by striking the shield with the mace.
The bronze fibula was found in tomb 45 , housed inside a large burial mound. The tomb, male according to the other objects of the grave goods, must have belonged to an eminent figure of the community buried in the necropolis.

The large necropolis that extends to Campovalano with over 600 tombs represents an exceptional testimony of the continuity of life of the site from the Iron Age to the Hellenistic age. A fair number of tombs date back to between the seventh and sixth centuries. BC and reflects, with the richness and variety of the outfits, the existence and organization of a real social group of warrior princes, who emphasized the belonging to a rich local aristocracy through precious objects.
Extraordinary for the materials found in it is the female tomb n. 119 , which stands out among other things for preserving rare examples of embossed bronze sandals among the numerous objects of the trousseau. These objects consist of a wooden support surface shaped like an anatomical insole and made flexible by means of an articulated hinge in the middle of the sole with an external coating of stained bronze sheets. In the decoration, fantastic figures from Greek mythology and real animals are visible: a mermaid, a sphinx attacking a man, a chimera, a panther biting a boar, an arched bull running with a woman on the mane and finally a man on horseback.

The tabulae patronatus represent official documents that had the function of reminding the bond existing between the citizens of a colony or a municipality and their patron, generally residing in Rome. In this sense, they correspond to the " private " function of the first cards, called hospitales, which since ancient times sanctioned a bond of hospitality between two contractors, the host and the guest: similar objects therefore provided for a "double copy", with which hospitality could be claimed. Similarly, the tabulae patronatus, widespread in the imperial age in the Roman provinces and in the fourth century. AD also in Italy, there were usually two, one public to be posted in the forum or other place reserved for community life, and the other private, intended for the patron's house, often mentioned by the inscription itself.
The tabulae patronatus, with a standardized content, could be drawn up in a short form, which provided for the choice of someone as patron and confirmation of the registration of the patronage, or in a long form, which also recalled the decree conferring the patronage. The latter is also the form of the two texts of Amiternum: the first tabula concerns the patronage on Amiternum conferred on Gaius Sallius Pompeianus Sofronius in 325 AD , while the second concerns the patronage on Foruli attributed to his son , with the same name, in the 335 AD . They are representatives of an Amiternina family whose existence is documented for over two centuries: the same tabulae remember three patrons over four generations.
The first text mentions the generous interventions of Gaio Sallio in favor of the city ("splendidissimae civitati nostrae"): the reactivation of the aqueduct (Aqua Arentani) and the offer of two days of theatrical performances for the inauguration of the thermal baths that Gaius Sallio himself had it rebuilt and equipped with arcades and statues. The second tabula, more concise, is no less interesting, as the conferral ceremony, unlike the first, is "pagan" or "vicana".
The two tables represent the last evidence of life in the town. The fact that they were found in Amiternum, about 150 m south-east of the amphitheater, near the walls of a large house, suggests identifying the building with the Domus dei Sallii, still inhabited in the fourth century. AD by its owners.

This bronze altar is made up of quadrangular bronze plates which, positioned between the base and the upper frame, originally covered a core (wooden or concrete) which was located on a parallelepiped stone block still in place, in front of the mosaic temple and decorated with wall paintings.
The slabs, framed by engraved moldings, show on the forehead a dedication inscription of a veteran recalled to service (C. Septimius / Popilianus / evoc (atus) Aug (usti) / v (otum) s (olvit)) and on the sides elements made by fusion and then applied: on the right a patera (a kind of cup), on the left an urceus (a jug) of which the handle and other traces can be identified. The crowning pulvinus is decorated on the front band with elements in bronze sheet applied and arranged in a symmetrical way.
The bronze altar represents a very rare and precious gift in the votive contexts of the sanctuaries of the Roman era.
The altar, found on the upper terrace of the sanctuary in 1959, is a unique example of its state of conservation.