Italy: Discovery of new treasures in Paestum
Al-Anbat- Seham Qasem
Excavation in Southern Italy revealed the heads of clay
bulls and a statue of the Greek God Eros riding a dolphin, highlighting
religious life and the rituals of an ancient city, according to officials of
the Italian Ministry of Culture, the day before yesterday.
This is the first collection of artifacts identified from a
temple in the ancient Greek city of Paestum, dating back to the fifth century
BC, Paestum is known for its huge three-pillar temples, located near the Pompeii
archaeological site.
The Italian Ministry of Culture said in a statement that "the
small temple was first identified in 2019 along the walls of Old City, but
excavations were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The Ministry added that” Excavation in the early months of
the resumption of the work resulted in the discovery of several small statues
of clay.
Archaeologists found seven bullheads around a temple altar
as if placed there on the ground as a form of communion”.
A small dolphin statue was also found in the first collection
of artifacts in Paestum and limited excavation of temples began in the 1950s.
