During excavations near the ancient city of Paestum in southern Italy, terracotta bull heads and a figurine of the Greek god Eros riding a dolphin were discovered, shedding new light on the rituals old, informed AR with reference to representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Italy.
The finds date back to the 5th century BC.
Excavations take place in the area of the ancient city of Paestum, 35 km from present-day Italian Salerno. Paestum, originally called Posidonia, was a Greek colony and therefore the finds belong to Hellenistic religious cults and not to ancient Roman cults. The city was captured by the Romans in 275 BC.
Paestum was famous for its three massive temples with Doric columns. The first of three temples was first discovered by archaeologists in 2019, but excavations were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy’s culture ministry said in a statement.
Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia
During the excavations resumed this year, several small terracotta figurines were found. Archaeologists have unearthed seven bulls’ heads arranged around the perimeter of the temple’s altar, arranged as if resting on the ground as a sign of worship.
Another curious find of archaeologists was the figurine of the god Eros riding a dolphin. Scientists believe that the figurine is the work of one of the masters of the Avili family of ceramists. It is the first work found by the famous masters of the ancient world in southeastern Italy. The country’s culture ministry hopes further excavations in the Paestum area will yield even more finds.
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