Hidden Secret Temple

Since 1830, archaeologist knew about the 120 tombs on a hill side in Tuscany, Italy. The tombs dated to the 7^th to 6^th centuries BC. But only recently did they discover in the same area an ancient temple of a cult.

The temple was part of the ancient Etruscan necropolis of Sasso Pinzuto. It includes plenty of artifacts, such as clay tablets that give details about the funerary rituals of the time, some of which may have lasted for centuries.

Known as an oikos—a house of the deity—the temple provides a window into the architecture of the ritual sites of the day. It includes a transverse atrium and 3 rooms oriented north-northeast.

Since the 1830s, researchers have found about 120 chamber tombs. Three mounds contain the bulk of the burials. North of the largest mound, they found 9 small pits dug for additional burials. It was near these pits that the temple was discovered. Experts believe the site was for Etruscan elites.

The architecture of the burial grounds shows the style of ancient tombs, with chambers dug into rock, divided into rooms that could be used for multiple generations of the same family.

Archaeologists also found information that helps depict what happened inside the temple. Decorated clay slabs show ceremonies chronicling everything from the use of horsemen and chariots to the purpose of dancers and musicians during banquets.

They also found the remains of clay and metal furnishings in the temple that appear to have been in use at the time.

Now, as I remember it, the Etruscans were around before the Romans appeared. But at the time I heard about them (many long years ago), there wasn’t much known about them, so I was excited to see this article.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-found-a-cult-s-secret-temple-hidden-among-ancient-tombs/ar-BB1qTqQI?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=4b29427ca0eb40e9a777238542e8cbdc&ei=31

Atlantis?

Some scientists have found some ancient islands deep underwater in the Atlantic Ocean. Some experts believe the drowned landmasses may be the potential inspiration for the well-known myth of Atlantis. They have even gone so far as to call the find “Lost Atlantes”, after the fabled civilization that the gods drowned.

Some of these islands still have their beaches intact. They are located on an underwater mountain located around 1.4 miles (2.3 km) underwater off the coast of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

Researchers say that 56 to 34 million years ago, Los Atlantes was a series of islands topped by 3 now inactive volcanoes. When the volcanoes stopped erupting, the lava solidified and became denser, causing the islands to sink into the sea.

Despite the passing of millions of years, the islands have retained distinctive features, such as beaches, cliffs and sand dunes at the flat summit of the mountain. The sand which now covered the volcanic rock would have been deposited as the islands descended into the water.

Some of the beaches lie only 200 ft (60 meters) below the oceans’ surface. During the last ice age, when sea levels were far lower than today, the inactive volcanoes would have become islands again. These islands could have been colonized by wildlife, or even early people. When the ice age ended and sea levels rose, the islands sank again.

In my opinion, if there were people living on these islands during the last ice age, and at least some of them escaped when the sea levels rose, I’m sure they couldn’t resist telling anybody they met about their escape. Such a tale, handed down from generation to generation, could have easily become the myth we still know today.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/the-origins-of-atlantis-discovered-off-the-coast-of-lanzarote/ar-AA1oIRiY?ocid=mailsignout&pc=U591&cvid=35a8ff97a59b43ddb693e2b85c252796&ei=79