Greek mosaic, Etruscan temple found and new lead ingot research published this week
Europe has been rich in archaeological discoveries this week, with the discovery of a Greek mosaic, an Etruscan temple, and the publication of new research on lead ingots found in Spain. Each of these finds sheds light on different aspects of ancient civilizations and their culture, which gives them great importance.
Archaeologists from Tuscany discovered a 2,700-year-old Etruscan temple in the Sasso Pinzuto necropolis. This is a cult building, which is considered one of the largest of its kind, its dimensions are 6.2 by 7.1 meters. The excavations were carried out by the Center for Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies (CAMNES) in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II. A team of scientists discovered the tufa foundations of an opus quadratum (an ancient Roman building technique using square stone blocks) of a rectangular structure known as an oikos, meaning “house of the deity”.
This discovery will shed light on burial ceremonies in Tuscany during the Archaic period. Burial mounds and trenches for cult events were also discovered nearby. “With great probability, the oikos of Sasso Pinzuto will become a benchmark for funerary cults in archaic Etruscan necropolises,” noted Professor Alessandro Naso from the University of Naples. Sasso Pinzuto has been excavated since the mid-19th century and contains more than 120 chambered tombs dating back to the 7th century BC.
An ancient Greek mosaic depicting naked satyrs was discovered on the island of Evia. On the Greek island of Evia, archaeologists have discovered a mosaic floor that they came across during work on laying a water pipe. In the modern city of Eretria, there are the remains of an ancient Greek city that dates back to the middle of the first millennium BC. This beautiful piece of art depicts two naked satyrs. The figures are half-human, half-beast, with goat-like or horse-like features, including tails, pointed ears, and horns. In Greek mythology, satyrs were hybrid spirits of man and animal, closely associated with the cult of Dionysus, the god of fertility, wine, spiritual ecstasy and unrestrainedness. The mosaic was discovered in a house of the 4th century BC, which was located in the very center of the ancient city and probably belonged to a rich family. The mosaic is in an “excellent state of preservation” and the shingle pattern “gives realism and vitality to the figures of the image,” the Greek Ministry of Culture said in a statement.
Researchers suggest that lead poisoning played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire. A hoard of Roman lead ingots was discovered during gas pipeline laying works in Spain. The find in northern Córdoba makes it possible to understand why the trade in the toxic metal could become one of the factors in the fall of the empire. Three triangular ingots weighing between 24 and 32 kg were found in the last century during the construction of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline. A new study published in the Journal of Roman Archeology concluded that the site was a major lead smelting center in the ancient Western world. During the Roman Empire, this metal was used to make kitchen utensils and water pipes. Some wealthy Romans also sweetened their wine with lead acetate, not realizing they were poisoning themselves. Some historians believe that the frequent cases of lead poisoning of the rulers of the empire may have contributed to its final collapse.
