Culture Ministry officials said on Saturday that excavations in southern Italy have uncovered terracotta bulls’ heads and a statue of the Greek god Eros riding a dolphin, shedding light on religious life, traditions and rituals in an ancient city.
It is the oldest group of artifacts identified from a sanctuary in the ancient Greek city of Paestum, dating back to the 5th century BC. Famous for its three massive temples with Doric columns, Paestum is located near the archaeological site of Pompeii, but far from the Malvian coast.
The Italian Ministry of Culture said in a statement that the small temple was first identified in 2019 along the ancient city walls, but that excavations were halted due to the Covid pandemic.
The ministry said the excavations yielded several small terracotta figurines in the first months of work resuming. Archaeologists found seven bulls’ heads around the altar of a temple as if it had been placed on the ground in a form of devotion.
The statement says that a small figurine of a dolphin found in the first group of artifacts appears to have belonged to the Avelli family of potters whose presence at Paestum is not previously documented.
Limited excavation of the temples began in the 1950s and the ministry believes that other treasures may be found in the area.
The ancient Romans took control of the city around 275 BC and named it Paestum from the Greek “Poseidonia”, in what was once known as Magna Graecia.
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