The Sunnyvale Sun

Cover Story

Photograph courtesy of William Gaugler

This funerary urn typical of the period, hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, during which the lost tomb was constructed.

Hidden Treasure

Not all things priceless lie buried deep beneath the ground

By MICHELLE MAGHRIBI

San Jose State University professor emeritus and local author William Gaugler 74, has dedicated a lifetime to solving historical mysteries; along the way he has become one of Sunnyvale's hidden treasures.

Gaugler's passion for history and art, including the sport of fencing, began at an early age, setting the course for what many would regard as ambitious childhood dreams.

"At the age of 6, I asked my father to take me to the Detroit Institute of Art so that I could see actual works of art," Gaugler remembers. "In the museum I took special interest in ancient Greek sculpture, Italian Renaissance paintings and a full-length portrait of a fencing master. Moreover, I determined that I would study art, learn to draw and paint, become a swordsman, and visit Greece and Italy. In retrospect it is genuinely astonishing that, in fact, I eventually realized these childhood dreams."

Gaugler was born in Highland Park, Mich., during the Great Depression. His parents emigrated from Germany, eventually making their home in Detroit. He went on to earn degrees from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Roosevelt University in Chicago, and finally his doctorate from the University of Florence, Italy. In the process, he fell in love with his wife Gladys and with fencing. (He is an honorary member of the Italian Fencing Masters Association and the Accademia Nazionale di Scherma in Naples.) He is credited with launching San Jose State University's prestigious fencing masters program.

After living in Chicago, Los Angeles, Geneva, Cannes, Beausoleil, Florence and Frankfurt-am-Main, Gaugler moved to the Bay Area in 1969 to take a teaching appointment at SJSU, settling in Sunnyvale in 1976.

At SJSU, he taught classical art and archaeology and was the associate chairman for the history of art, retiring in 1996. He believes, "Education is optimism based on the notion there can be change." While teaching, he continued to pursue his passion for archaeology and antiquity and became an expert on the elusive ancient tomb of the famous Etruscan king, Lars Porsenna.

Porsenna's tomb has been the object of archaeological obsession for many centuries and was thought to have been destroyed by earthquakes in the fifth century B.C.

Gaugler says, "The locals at Chiusi are always hoping to discover the hidden treasure in the Tomb of Porsenna, provided they can find the tomb. I was observed carefully once word got out that I was searching for the tomb and had access to scientific equipment. When I had soil samples taken from various sites around Chiusi for control purposes, I threw my watchers off the track and confused them.

"It is believed that there was a gold chariot and rich offerings buried with Porsenna. That is very probable, judging by the wealth that was uncovered in Etruscan tombs, such as the Regolini-Galassi Tomb at Cerveteri. The contents of that tomb are on display in the Vatican, Museo Gregoriano Etrusco."

The Porsenna tomb, believed to be the largest monument in antiquity--even exceeding the height of the great pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) in Egypt--has never been found and is considered to be one of the greatest mysteries of all time.

Gaugler published The Tomb of Lars Porsenna at Clusium in 2002; it is the only book offering scientific proof for the suspected location of the tomb in the modern-day city of Chiusi, Italy, in the heart of Tuscany.

Gaugler's passion for the subject and penchant for storytelling sweeps the reader up into a mythological and historical journey.

Gaugler colorfully narrates from an account by Livy the incident that set in motion the Roman revolution and resulted in the downfall of the monarchy and eventually led to Porsenna's intervention and siege of Rome in 509 B.C.

The passage entitled the "Rape of Lucretia" details Sextus Tarquinius' (son of Roman king Tarquinius Superbus) violation of a married noblewoman.

Gaugler writes that after the rape, "Lucretia sent for her father at Rome, and her husband at Ardea, revealed to them her dishonor, and begged them to punish the adulterer; then, before either man could intervene, she plunged a dagger into her heart and expired. The grieving men carried Lucretia's body to the market square in Collatia, where the gathering crowd, sickened by the brutality of Sextus Tarquinius, armed itself and marched on Rome, closing the gates and locking the monarch and his followers out."

In his book, Gaugler concludes the Etruscans could have erected a tomb of large proportions thought to be more than 600 Roman feet tall, 300 Roman feet wide and weighing approximately 800,000 metric tons, out of materials that include travertine, wood and bronze.

Gaugler, along with colleagues William J. Venuti and Peter A. J. Englert, determined through scientific analysis that included aerial photography, soil analysis and topographical considerations, that the probable location of the ancient monument is on Monte Martinella (Mountain of the Bells).

Gaugler believes any investigation should be noninvasive. "In my research work, I believe in nondestructive analysis," Gaugler said.

Instead he prefers to use scientific instruments to locate structures and objects, with proper funding to guarantee protection of the site and preservation of the materials located during excavation.

Such enthusiasm for technological advance is perhaps at odds with Gaugler's Old World chivalrous demeanor and passion for the ancient sport of fencing.

In keeping with a childhood promise he'd made to himself, Gaugler first studied in Los Angeles under world-renowned fencer Maestro Aldo Nadi and began teaching fencing privately to San Jose State University students in 1969. While working and studying in Europe he also received the prestigious diploma of Fencing Master (Maestro di Scherma) from The Accademia Nazionale di Scherma in Naples.

In 1979, supported by the chairman of SJSU's Department of Military Science, Col. Robert Elder, he founded the university's Fencing Masters Program--the only one of its kind in the United States--based on the classical Italian system used by the Military Fencing Masters School in Rome.

"While I retired as director of the program in 2004, the program has continued to exist for 27 years and has produced generations of fencing teachers, including members of the United States Olympic fencing teams," Gaugler said.

The program is currently sponsored by the Department of Theatre Arts and Aerospace Studies (Air Force R.O.T.C.)

The current director of the program, Maestro Ralph Sahm, speaks highly of his former art and fencing professor, saying while many admire Gaugler for his talents as a professor, his knowledge, dedication and support of his pupils are what make him exceptional.

"He is a major historian on fencing who gave these fascinating lectures. No one could ever come close to what he did with the lectures; it was always something different. He made it interesting," Sahm said. "I've been in the class almost since it started and he was very special. It was a great loss when he retired."

Former student and San Jose State University faculty member Maestra Janine Monteleone Sahm was one of the first women to graduate from the fencing masters program under the direction of Gaugler and can appreciate her former teacher's lust for life.

"Almost no one has lived the kind of life Maestro Gaugler has," Sahm said. "His background as an etruscologist is invaluable. While I am not a person who is all that jazzed about history, when you see someone like Maestro Gaugler who has a passion for it, it gets me excited--you kind of catch the fever."

In addition to catching Maestro Gaugler's enthusiasm, Sahm also credits him as an inspiration. "He expected nothing but the highest standard for me in combination with always being positive," Sahm said. "If that component wasn't there, I probably would not have finished the program. His belief in me helped build my confidence."

Publications

William Gaugler's publications include:

* The Tomb of Lars Porsenna at Clusium (Bangor 2002)

* The History of Fencing (Bangor 1998)

ˆ* The Science of Fencing (Bangor 2004).

His books can be found at the Sunnyvale Borders or can be ordered directly from the publisher, Laureate Press, by calling 800.946.2727.

He is at work on a book dealing with Greek, Etruscan and Roman art that will include more than 1,000 illustrations.