Archaeologists in Italy have discovered an ancient statue of a dolphin

Culture Ministry officials said on Saturday that excavations in southern Italy have uncovered terracotta bulls’ heads and a statue of the Greek god Eros riding a dolphin, shedding light on the religious life and rituals of an ancient city.

It is the first group of artifacts identified from a sanctuary in the ancient Greek city of Paestum, which dates back to the 5th century BC. Famous for its three colossal temples with Doric columns, Paestum is close to the archaeological site of Pompeii, but far from the Malvian coast.

The Italian Ministry of Culture said in a statement that the small temple was first identified in 2019 along the ancient city walls, but excavation work was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministry said the excavation yielded several small terracotta figurines in the first months of resumption of work. Archaeologists found seven bulls’ heads found around the altar of a temple as if it had been placed there on the ground in some form of devotion.

The statement said a small dolphin figurine found in the first group of artifacts appears to be from the Avelli family of potters whose presence has not been previously documented at Paestum.

Limited excavations of the temples began in the 1950s, and the ministry believes that more treasures may be found in the area.

The ancient Romans took control of the city around 275 BC, and renamed it Paestum from the Greek “Poseidonia”, in what used to be Magna Graecia.