8 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Torrential Rain Reveal 2500-Year-old Small Bull Statue

After heavy rains near the ancient Olympia site, a bronze bull statue of a bull believed to be at least 2500 years old was unearthed in Greece.

The discovery of a small, intact object was made by archaeologists near the temple, the Greek Ministry of Culture said.

It was found near the temple of Zeus and the Altis, the sacred enclosure and core of the sanctuary, the ministry said. “One of its horns was poking out of the ground following recent heavy rainfall.”

Archaeologist Zaharoula Leventouri noticed a small horn sticking out of the moist soil near the temple of Zeus during an inspection and stopped to carefully remove the soil from the area.

Archaeologist Zaharoula Leventouri unearthed a small bronze bull and dated this small statuette to the Geometric period of Greece from 1000 BC to 700 BC.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The burn marks on the statuette suggest that it may have been one of the thousands of offerings to the Greek god Zeus.

Archaeologists have discovered dozens of exquisite pottery with unique geometric patterns of the period, but bronze statues of that period are not common because the Greeks later melted many bronze sculptures to reuse this material for hundreds of years.

A bronze bull idol unearthed at the archaeological site of Olympia in Greece. Photograph: Greek Ministry of Culture/Reuters
A bronze bull idol unearthed at the archaeological site of Olympia in Greece. Photograph: Greek Ministry of Culture/Reuters

The bronze bull was sent for further investigation by experts from the Greek Ministry of Culture who later determined that it was most likely a gift dedicated to Zeus in his temple at Ancient Olympia.

Like other animal and human figurines, the bull discovered near the temple of Zeus was likely to have been offered by believers during a sacrifice, which would explain the burn marks and “sediments removed during its purification”, the ministry added.

The ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia every four years from 776 BC to at least 393 AD, and the cities and states of Greece put aside conflicts in order to participate.

Located in the Peloponnese, Olympia was an important center not only of religious life in ancient Greece but also of sports.

Cover Photo:  AMNA

Related Articles

Ancient Tomb of Korean Hostage Prince Found in China

21 July 2025

21 July 2025

Chinese archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of Kim Young, a hostage prince from the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, in...

The Error That Caused II.Ramses to Lose the Battle of Kadesh

5 February 2021

5 February 2021

The Battle of Kadesh between the Hittites and Egyptians in Anatolia, the two superpowers of the Bronze Age period, has...

Outstanding Bronze Age artifacts discovered in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France

23 August 2021

23 August 2021

Hundreds of bronze objects have been discovered buried in pottery in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France. The research team, led...

Millefiori Glass Plateques From the 5th Century AD Discovered in the Ancient Lycian City of Myra

9 September 2024

9 September 2024

One of the six leading cities of ancient Lycia and the birthplace of Santa Claus (or Sinterklaas in Dutch), the...

Bronze Age Ceremonial Sword Found in Håre in Vestfyn will be on Display Soon

13 March 2021

13 March 2021

Archaeologists excavating the village of Håre on the island of Funen in Denmark have discovered an ornate Bronze Age sword...

Researchers find 3,000-year-old shark attack victim in Japan

24 June 2021

24 June 2021

In a paper published today, Oxford-led researchers reveal their discovery of a 3,000-year-old victim—attacked by a shark in the Seto...

The history of Kültepe Mound in central Turkey goes back another 300 years

12 December 2021

12 December 2021

In Kültepe, where the first written documents of Anatolia were unearthed, the date based on 5 thousand years was updated...

Mystery of the World’s Oldest Map on a Nearly 3,000-year-old Babylonian Tablet Finally Solved

28 October 2024

28 October 2024

A recent British Museum video reveals that the “oldest map of the world in the world” on a clay tablet...

New Research Uncovers Earliest Evidence of Humans in Rainforests, Pushing Timeline Back 150,000 Years

3 March 2025

3 March 2025

The rainforests, as important biomes on earth, were considered uninhabited until recent history. New findings now show that humans lived...

The secret of the mummy in the Crystal coffin found in a garage in San Francisco

30 March 2023

30 March 2023

Mysterious mummies are a symbol of ancient lost times, which we often associate with Egypt and other ancient civilizations. Therefore,...

Researchers Found Evidence in Ethiopia of a Human Population that Survived the Eruption of the Toba Supervolcano 74,000 Years Ago

22 March 2024

22 March 2024

Researchers working in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula have uncovered evidence showing how Middle Stone...

An intact Punic Tomb was Discovered in Malta

29 May 2021

29 May 2021

İntact a tomb dating to the Punic period was found in Tarxien. The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has announced the...

The camel carvings in Saudi Arabia are 8000 years old!

15 September 2021

15 September 2021

Life-size animal reliefs found in Saudi Arabia were carved almost 8,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, when the desert...

The Temple of Persian Water Goddess Anahita Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

8 March 2024

8 March 2024

Archaeologists excavating the Rabana-Merquly mountain fortress in what is present-day Iraqi Kurdistan suggest that it may also have served as...

‘Australia’s silk road’: the quarries of Mithaka Country dating back 2100 years

4 April 2022

4 April 2022

In Queensland’s remote Channel Country of red dirt and gibber rock, traditional owners and archaeologists have unearthed what researchers have...