A 3,000-year-old clay statue believed to depict an ancient goddess has been discovered in a volcanic lake in central Italy.
Archaeologists suggest that this statue was likely crafted for prayer. Its features are only roughly finished, yet the statue still bears the fingerprints of its creator, as well as the impression of a fabric that indicates the statue was originally dressed in some type of clothing.
Archaeologists found the small statue underwater in Lake Bolsena, where the Gran Carro archaeological site is believed to be the submerged remains of an Iron Age village. (Photo: Guido Paradisi)
Archaeologists from the Etruria regional government and police divers made this discovery last month at Lake Bolsena, located about 80 kilometers northwest of Rome.
To the east of the lake lies the location of the submerged Gran Carro archaeological site, thought to be the remnants of an Iron Age village built in the 10th or 9th century BCE that later sank underwater.
The clay statue, measuring approximately 15 cm in length, was found among the rubble of a dwelling at the submerged site, and archaeologists believe it is related to a family ritual.
“This is a unique and exceptional discovery. It reveals aspects of daily life in the early Iron Age that are little known in southern Etruria,” the archaeologists stated.
The Submerged Village
Geologists have determined that Lake Bolsena was formed between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago during the eruptions of the Vulsini volcano beneath it. Roman records indicate that this volcano last erupted in 104 BCE, and scientists now believe that this ancient village was submerged when the eastern shore sank during seismic activity.
According to archaeologists, the submerged village containing the newly found statue may have been built by the Villanovan culture, an early stage of Etruscan civilization before the establishment of Rome. Thousands of artifacts have been found there since the 1960s, including wooden remnants, household items, jewelry, and pottery, and studies of the village layout reveal the social organization of the Iron Age inhabitants.
