Rome´s Lupa is medieval by Zuzana Zelenakova

Capitoline wolf, or in Italian Lupa Capitolina, is the true symbol of the city of Rome. 75 cm high and 114 cm long it depicts a she-wolf that according to the legend suckled the founders of the city, human twins Romulus and Remus. The sculptures of the infants made in obviously different style compared to that of the she-wolf were added in the late 15th century and were probably made by the sculptor Antonio Pollaiuolo. However, now a fierce dispute is going on about the dating of the female wolf itself. So far the general public believed that it was an Etruscan work from 5th century BC. But according to the latest research, including radiocarbon dating, it has been found that it was actually manufactured in the 13th century AD. Anna Maria Carruba, a researcher who was appointed with the restoration works on the statue in 1997 and had the opportunity to examine it closely, is a firm supporter of this new theory: “It´s decisively medieval. As I went ahead with my research, I was ever more sure,” she said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. She observed that Lupa had been made in a specific casting technique that was not used with the ancient Greek and Roman bronzes. Radiocarbon and thermoluminescence dating was carried out at the University of Salento in February 2007 to resolve the question only to confirm Carruba´s theory. Though the sculpture´s origins are still uncertain it is believed that it was manufactures somewhere in Tiber valley between Rome and Orvieto. Well, of course there are voices still skeptic about the new dating theory. “Leaving aside the point of pride about Rome´s symbol, arguments for the medieval are weak,” said Alessandro Naso, an Etruscan expert at the University of Molise. Anyway, whatever the discussions Capitoline she-wolf still remains a powerful image in the minds of all Italians who do not care that much about its precise dating.


related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_re_eu/italy_how_old_the_she_wolf;_ylt=As3FYdSw96IHwxdK9NmlM.is0NUE

by Zuzana Zelenakova for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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posted by Lucia Adamova