dig at the former island - city of Motya have revealed a large sacred pocket billiards that the ancient Phoenicians used for religious intent and to tag the movement of maven , harmonise to new enquiry .
Newresearchin the science journal Antiquity presents a novel rendition of an stilted basinful , love as a “ kothon , ” on the former island urban center of Motya in western Sicily . The generator of the new paper , led by archaeologist Lorenzo Nigro from Sapienza University of Rome , say the structure is not a military harbor as ab initio believed , but a “ sacred pocket billiards at the centre of a monumental refuge with possible astronomical functions . ” The discovery is slough Modern light on ancient Phoenician cultivation and their connexion to nature .
The kothon ( a term used by Greek and Latin authors ) was originally uncovered in the other 1920s , and it dates to between 550 and 397 BCE . archaeologist figured it was an contrived haven , and for good ground ; a alike construction existed in Carthage , and it served the function of a military port . The new study challenges this longstanding interpretation , argue that the 2,500 - yr - sure-enough construction is a hallowed pool , make it among the largest to be found in the Mediterranean region .
Upon completion of the excavations, the basin was refilled with water and replica statue placed on the pedestal at center.Photo: Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to Motya
reincarnate excavation at the website between 2002 and 2010 lead in the find of a large building , the Temple of Ba’al . The tabernacle honoring the Phoenician deity was detect along the border of the presumed kothon . It was an unexpended find , as it ’s not the kind of establish that one might carry to find at a military harbor . This led to a ten - recollective effort to further investigate the structure , in which the squad had to drain and excavate the basin , which value 172 human foot ( 52.5 meters ) foresighted and 119 feet ( 36.25 meters ) wide . That ’s heavy than an Olympic - sizing swimming pool .
The team “ excavated stratigraphically , layer by level , to construct its complex chronicle and as it is — out of the blue — tie in with the phreatic aquifer [ the Greek terminus for a natural fountain ] we had to pump water alfresco continuously , ” Nigro explained in an electronic mail . Indeed , as the excavations disclose , the supposed kothon was not get in touch to the ocean and was or else feed by natural natural spring , so “ it could not have dish up as an inlet to a hypothetical navigable washbasin , ” allot to the study .
Importantly , the archaeologists also discovered an additional synagogue around the border of the pond , a body structure dedicated to the Phoenician goddess Astarte , and a third building labeled “ Sanctuary of the Holy Waters . ” Burial stones , altars , spiritual offerings , and a base at the snapper of the syndicate were also expose . The pedestal still retained the feet of a tall statue that once stand up top — a statue the scientists believe represent Ba’al . Taken together , this grounds suggests the pool was a salient centrepiece to a substantial spiritual bema .
A map of the site, showing the sacred pool.Image: Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to Motya
But that ’s not all . A function of the pool suggests it was aligned to the stars and used to get over celestial movements . As the researchers write :
The reflect surfaces of pools could be used for astronomical observations by using poles to mark the emplacement of stars reflected in the H2O , allowing the observation and measurement of supernal body and their angle relative to the sensible horizon . The constellations and their position in the Nox sky on significant date , such as solstices and equinox , are mirror in the alignments of the main structure at the site , as well as through sacred features that include stelae carefully placed within the temenos to tick off the rising , zenith , or mark of the stars over the apparent horizon .
Nigro said this particular finding excited him the most — the “ fact that ancient Phoenicians aimed to synchronize their life with that of the cosmos / nature , ” he told me , and that “ their god were adept and nature was a constantly inspiring military force in their lives . ”
The drained “kothon” during excavations.Photo: Sapienza University of Rome Expedition to Motya
The redefining of the kothon and the characterization of the religious complex further refines our understanding of the ancient Phoenicians , a civilisation that lasted from around 2500 BCE to 64 BCE , when Pompey conquered Phoenicia . Nigro say the young finding show us that the Phoenicians “ could assemble different Mediterranean culture in their urban center using this furore complex as a place to commingle and commute their traditions . ” This openness , however , hail at a cost , as it served to alienate Carthage , resulting in the siege of Motya in 398 - 397 BCE , according to the paper .
Upon completion of the excavation , Nigro ’s team refill the basin and climb up a replica statue of Ba’al to the pedestal . It in reality looks very cool , providing a glimpse of what this sacred office seem like so many year ago .
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