30 March 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

Offerings to goddess Demeter uncovered in archaic temple on Crete island, Greek

Nestled between two mountain peaks overlooking the harbor, excavations in the ancient city of Phalasarna revealed hundreds of offerings to the goddess Demeter in the remains of an ancient temple, the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports said in a Nov. 11 news release.

The ancient city of Phalasarna is located on the western end of Crete, an island about 200 miles south of mainland Greece.

According to the press release, archaeologists discovered the remains of a temple that had been rebuilt between the late fourth and early third century B.C. The dusty, worn-down ruins were once a monumental staircase leading to two buildings: the main temple and a secondary structure, experts said.

The temple was built in Doric style on a natural rock with two fluted columns, capitals, metopes, and pediment. Estimates indicate it was more than 25 feet high and 16 feet wide. Most important it is the only temple of its kind in Crete.

Archaeologists on the Greek island of Crete unearthed the ruins of a temple rebuilt 2,300 years ago, finding offerings to an ancient water goddess. Photo: Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports

Archaeologists discovered five offering cases in the temple’s once-tiled floor. Researchers found well-preserved, elegant vases inside these cases. Archaeologists translated the inscription on one vase to read: A K E S T O I D A M A T R I – dedicated to the goddess Demeter.

Archaeologists said that as they dug down further at the formerly sacred site, they came across a pit that contained artwork that was from 600 B.C., which is hundreds of years older than the other finds. Glass items, terracotta animal figurines, and clay figurines of women were among these artistic offerings.

The early Archaic period (650 BC) appears to be dominated by Daedalic art in the form of naked female figures with Daedalic headdresses and high poles. From the findings of the 6th c. e.g. Egyptian and Phoenician glass objects, terracotta bird and animal figurines, arrowheads and spearheads, miniature vases, enthroned female figures, and a female figurine holding a poppy and pomegranate stand out. Regarding the findings of the 4th and 3rd c. BC the hydriai stand out, a beaked ritual prochos with a red representation of a flying Cupid, iron spikes and alabaster vessels.

Left: Pottery engraved with the name of the goddess Demeter. Right: Another pottery vessel found at the temple. Photo: the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports

Piece by piece, archaeologists concluded that the temple was rebuilt about 2,300 years ago after an earlier structure collapsed, experts said according to the release.

Demeter is an ancient Greek goddess associated with the earth, fertility, and the power of water as a life source. The sister and consort of Zeus, she was also worshiped as a goddess of agriculture.

Female figurines made from clay around 600 B.C. were found at the temple. Photo: the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports

Dorians established Phalasarna around the 7th century BC on the on the far West of Crete on Grambousa peninsula’s Cape Koutri. They controlled the sea routes to Northern Africa and Italy from this location. Their city-state had laws and a political system that allowed for the growth of a progressive community. The local economy’s strength was based on seafaring ability, which led Phalasarna to become a naval power. In the 4thcentury BC, Phalasarna fortified the city with huge walls and other military buildings.

Cover Photo: A view of the temple ruins from above. Photo from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports

Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports

Banner
Related Post

Beheaded croc reveals ancient family secrets

10 March 2022

10 March 2022

A missing link in crocodilian evolution and a tragic tale of human-driven extinction. The partially fossilized remains of a giant...

A 900-year-old Crusader sword was found by a diver off Israel’s Carmen coast

18 October 2021

18 October 2021

A meter-long sword dating back to the Crusader period was found by an amateur diver on the seabed off the...

1,800 Years Old Woman Sculpture in the Ancient City of Metropolis

16 June 2021

16 June 2021

On 12 June, Turkish officials announced the discovery of an 1800-year-old statue of a woman in Izmir. An 1800-year-old statue...

Historic Leeds cemetery discovery unearths an ancient lead coffin belonging to a late Roman aristocratic woman

14 March 2023

14 March 2023

Archaeologists in northern Britain uncovered the skeletal remains of a late-Roman aristocratic woman inside a lead coffin, as well as...

HS2 archaeologists discover Romanization of Iron Age village in Britain

12 January 2022

12 January 2022

Archaeologists have uncovered a vast Roman trading town on Britain’s HS2 high-speed rail route. Evidence found during a dig of...

Archaeologists unearth the Torah Ark of the Great Synagogue of Vilna, destroyed in Lithuania

30 August 2021

30 August 2021

In Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, in excavation exposed the Torah ark and bimah (raised prayer platform) of the Great...

Will new Technology be able to Solve the Mystery in Masovia?

14 May 2021

14 May 2021

Although there are about 500 medieval tombs found in today’s Masovia and Podlasie cities, the question of who these tombs...

Göbeklitepe Monolith will be Exhibited in the United Nations

15 May 2021

15 May 2021

A copy of one of the famous ruins of Göbeklitepe, known as the oldest temple in the world, will be...

New Findings from 3,000-year-old Uluburun shipwreck: Uzbekistan Nomads Supplied a Third of the Bronze Used Across Ancient Mediterranean

5 December 2022

5 December 2022

A new study of the 3,o00 years old Uluburun shipwreck revealed a complex ancient trading network during the late bronze...

The World’s Oldest Smiling Water Flask with Emoji will be on display

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

After the collapse of the Hittite Empire, the Late Hittite States was established in Anatolia and Syria. One of these...

Burials covered in red dye discovered in Serbian barrows

18 February 2022

18 February 2022

Polish archaeologists excavating two barrow mounds in Vojvodina, in the northern part of the Republic of Serbia, have uncovered the...

Saudi Archaeologists have discovered a pre-Islamic Musnad inscription and a bronze bullhead

18 February 2023

18 February 2023

Saudi archaeologists have discovered the longest pre-Islamic Musnad inscription -of the ancient south Arabian script- and three gold rings and...

Archaeologists find an Anglo-Saxon church at Stoke Mandeville excavation site

13 September 2021

13 September 2021

Archaeologists working on the HS2 project found the remains of an Anglo-Saxon church during their excavations at the former St...

Scientists unlock the ‘Cosmos’ on the Antikythera Mechanism

13 March 2021

13 March 2021

Scientists may have finally made a complete digital model of the 2000-year-old Cosmos panel of a mechanical device called the...

Archaeologists find sunken ancient Egyptian warship under Abu Qir Bay

26 July 2021

26 July 2021

According to a press release by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Egyptian French archaeological mission of the...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *