The Capestrano Warrior
A statue over 2 metres tall in military costume stands guard at the entrance to the 2009 Summit’s Main Conference Hall. It is the Capestrano Warrior, a limestone statue dating back to the 6th century BC and thought of as the guardian spirit of Abruzzo, which is why it has been brought from the National Archaeological Museum in Chieti to the Guardia di Finanza campus in Coppito for the L’Aquila G8 Summit.
The Main Conference Hall,in its previous incarnations first the Guardia di Finanza campus gym then the Civil Protection operations room for the earthquake emergency, is now a fully renovated hall, modern in form and fittings and laid out as a circular area where the dominant hue is white.
The Civil Protection Department – which bears responsibility for it – has made a special anti-seismic base for the Capestrano Warrior for the Summit week: it is about 20 cm high and ensures the statue’s stability in the event of further tremors.The anti-seismic device is made of steel and consists of two plates, one on top of the other, the upper one being able to slide over the lower one.
The warrior is undoubtedly one of the best preserved of the 6th- and 7th-century BC sculptures found in the burial grounds, and its fame rests not least on this factor.
The Capestrano Warrior is the oldest find made in Abruzzo, and it has particularly intrigued archaeologists, art historians and linguists since 1943, the year in which it was discovered in the ancient city of Ofena. Indeed, the statue is shrouded in mystery from many points of view: its face covered by a mask, its broad-brimmed hat almost resembling a sombrero and its inscription still obscure.
There seems to be no doubt, however, that this was no rank-and-file warrior, but a chief, a member of the aristocracy of his day, as the symbols of military might, both defensive and offensive, with which he is portrayed show. And as, in particular, the jewels and ornaments adorning him show. The “cuirass discs” that he wears on his chest and back are also curious: symbolic ornaments rather than real shields, as they are so small that they protect no more than the wearer’s heart.
Despite portraying a warrior, the statue is neither awesome nor frightening, but seems to exude the calm, strength and pride that are perhaps the most distinctive features of Abruzzo and its people.
