Archaeologists in Italy have discovered stunning bronze statuettes and a unique plate at the bottom of a ritual well associated with an ancient Etruscan goddess. It's possible that the artifacts were placed in the well in a ceremony to celebrate the "birth" of an ancient city.
The additional discovery of ancient human remains in the well suggests that these individuals' burials may have been part of a "ritual closing," of the well, Elisabetta Govi, an archaeologist at the University of Bologna who led the excavation, told Live Science.
The team discovered the well in the outskirts of modern-day Bologna. During the early fifth century B.C., the Etruscans established a town called Kainua in this area, and the well was found near the religious sanctuary of the mother-goddess Uni, the Etruscan version of ancient Rome's Juno.
Found in the depths of the well were a unique bronze plate and the fragmented remains of two bronze female statuettes, which help date the well to the end of the ...
English (US)