{"id":6059,"date":"2023-04-17T17:17:29","date_gmt":"2023-04-17T21:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/?p=6059"},"modified":"2023-04-17T17:17:31","modified_gmt":"2023-04-17T21:17:31","slug":"archeologists-in-italy-unearth-ancient-dolphin-statuette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panoramitalia.com\/index.php\/2023\/04\/17\/archeologists-in-italy-unearth-ancient-dolphin-statuette\/","title":{"rendered":"Archeologists in Italy unearth ancient dolphin statuette"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Associated Press<\/a>Staff <\/em><\/strong>– Excavations in southern Italy have unearthed terracotta bull heads and a figurine of the Greek god Eros riding a dolphin, shining new light on the religious life and rituals of an ancient city, culture ministry officials said Saturday.<\/p>

It’s the first trove of artifacts identified from a sanctuary in the ancient Greek city of Paestum, which dates from the 5th century B.C. Paestum, famed for its three massive Doric-columned temples, is near the archaeological site of Pompeii, but farther down the Almalfi coast.<\/p>

The small temple was first identified in 2019 along the ancient city walls but excavations were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian Culture Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>

Excavations yielded several small terracotta figurines in the first months of resuming work, the Ministry said. Archeologists found seven bull heads found around a temple altar as if placed there on the ground in a form of devotion.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>

A dolphin statuette found in the first trove of artifacts appears to be from the Avili family of ceramists whose presence had never before been documented in Paestum, the statement said.<\/p>

Limited excavations began at the temples in the 1950s, and the ministry believes more treasures can be found in the area.<\/p>

Ancient Romans controlled the city by around 275 B.C., renaming it Paestum from the Greek “Poseidonia,” in what had before been Magna Graecia.<\/p>