The Monteriggioni statuettes were four pairs of marble figurines of Roman deities which were displayed on pedestals in the yard around the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni.
When Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the son of Assassin Giovanni Auditore, first arrived in Monteriggioni in 1477 to seek refuge with his uncle Mario Auditore, the statuettes laid scattered around the town. Over the years as Ezio himself trained to become an Assassin and helped develop the businesses of the town, he found all eight of the missing figurines and restored them to their proper positions, whereupon it was discovered that each pair was a key to a mechanism that unlocked secret storages, containing 2000 florins each. As the statues also added to the aesthetics of the town, they also increased its value.[1]
Statuettes[]
Pedestals[]
Each pedestal had its own message, describing the pair of statuettes that sat upon it.
- Neptune and Pluto: Two brothers rest here. One resides fathoms deep, the other at the end of time.
- Jupiter and Minerva: Here sits the king of all Olympus and beside him stands wisdom, to guide his rule.
- Diana and Apollo: Together, but never touching. One sleeps while the other rises, yet both watch over us.
- Mars and Venus: The god of rage and strength basks in his lover's radiant beauty. She tames his anger with her gentle touch.
Locations[]
Jupiter[]
On the south-eastern wall of the church.
As Jupiter was located high up on the wall of the church, it could either be reached by climbing the church and dropping down its eastern wall, or by climbing Monteriggioni's Thieves Guild and jumping to reach the statuette.
Neptune[]
Eastern part of the map fronting the church.
When facing the entrance to church, Ezio could turn left and look in a small walled off courtyard next to said church with a bench directly in front. From there, the statuette was attached to the wall just behind the tree.
Pluto[]
On a wall south-east from the Villa entrance.
Pluto was located at the top right corner of the village, just east of the training arena. After finding Neptune, it may be reached by climbing the building directly in front of Ezio until he was in line with the arena. Afterwards, he would need to drop to the left, towards the arena.
Mars[]
On a wall south-west from the Villa entrance.
Mars was almost at a mirrored location to Pluto, and could be found by going directly west from finding the Pluto statuette. It was attached to an east-facing wall to the west of the training arena.
Venus[]
On a wall of the western-most building, closest to the Villa.
Venus was located on the western wall of a small building, which was north-west of the building on which Mars was located. The statuette was attached to the wall just above a wooden scaffolding.
Apollo[]
At the south-west corner of the town, on the building just north of the brothel.
Apollo could be easily found by looking north from the roof of the brothel. It was attached to the second floor of the adjacent building, just above and to the left of an archway.
Diana[]
On the northern wall of a building directly in front of the town's gate.
Similarly to Apollo, Diana was just above and to the left of an archway. The statuette could be easily found by looking to the south of the courtyard with a lush tree, in line with a street crossed over by several wooden beams.
Minerva[]
On a building just to the east of the town entrance.
Minerva was on the corner of a building that was attached to a walled in courtyard with a small tree, similar to the courtyard in which Pluto was located. The statuette was on the opposite side of the building to the tree, on a low roof in the south-east corner.
Behind the scenes[]
Three of the statuettes, Minerva, Jupiter, and Venus, have been revealed as members of the Isu, deified by humans.
Despite having been restored to their appropriate places, all of the statuettes are missing at the beginning of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, before the Siege of Monteriggioni.
The statuette of Venus seems to be based on the so-called Capitoline Venus.
The statuette of Mars is based on a statue of Ares found in Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, Italy.
The statuette of Diana seems to be based on Diana of Versailles.
The statuette of Apollo is based on Apollo Belvedere.
The statuette of Jupiter is based on Jupiter of Smyrna, also called Zeus de Smyrne.
The statuette of Minerva seems to be based on the statue of Athena sculpted by Leonidas Drosis for the modern Academy of Athens, making its presence in the game anachronistic.
The statuette of Neptune seems to be based on the central statue of the Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, Italy. As the fountain was completed in 1565 and the statue affixed to it in 1567, the statuette is anachronistic.
The statuette of Pluto seems to be based on the sculpture "Pluton enchaînant Cerbère" by Augustin Pajou. As the statue was made in 1760, the statuette is anachronistic. In addition, the version in Assassin's Creed II lacks Cerberos and his chain, but is otherwise identical to Pajou's.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]