The Liver of Piacenza is an Etruscan

Etruscan civilization

Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...

 artifact found on September 26, 1877 near Gossolengo

Gossolengo

Gossolengo is a comune in the province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 150 km northwest of Bologna and about 9 km southwest of Piacenza, in the valley of the Trebbia river....

, in the province of Piacenza

Province of Piacenza

The Province of Piacenza is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Piacenza.The province has 273,689 inhabitants . Its total area is 2,589 km². There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Piacenza...

, Italy. It is a life-sized bronze model of a sheep's liver covered in Etruscan

Etruscan language

The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization, in what is present-day Italy, in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna...

 writings. The writings on the liver are names of Etruscan deities. It is believed that the bronze model served as a tool for priests when they practiced haruspicy. It has been dated to the 2nd-3rd century BC.

The bronze liver is now on display in the Municipal Museum of Piacenza, in the Palazzo Farnese

Palazzo Farnese (Piacenza)

240px|thumb|The project for the façade of Palazzo Farnese, Piacenza, by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola.240px|thumb|The court.Palazzo Farnese is a palace in Piacenza, northern Italy.- History :...

.

Further reading

• Van der Meer, L.B. (1987). The bronze liver of Piacenza. Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben.