Skeletons of a man and a woman found in an ancient well – researchers seek answers
Archaeologists investigating the ancient Etruscan city of Kainua, near Bologna, have uncovered a 2,500-year-old well that appears to have been used for ritual purposes. In addition to bronze figurines and vessels, the skeletons of a man and a woman were found inside.
Archaeologists investigating the ancient Etruscan city of Kainua, near Bologna in Italy, have uncovered a well about 2,500 years old that was apparently also used as part of the pagan worship of the local inhabitants. Inside the well, two broken bronze statues of women or girls, a rare bronze vessel, and the remains of a man and a woman were found. The findings were revealed during the 39th excavation campaign of the University of Bologna, and researchers are now trying to understand what rituals the pagans performed at the site and what the connection is between the offerings found and the two skeletons placed in the well at a later stage.
About 2,500 years ago, long before the region was ruled by the Roman Empire, the Etruscans lived in parts of Italy. They worshipped various gods, built temples for them, and performed rituals in which offerings were also made.
The well was found near a sacred complex dedicated to Uni, an Etruscan goddess associated with women, childbirth, marriage, and growth. In the area, temples dedicated to a pair of central deities in the Etruscan faith were also found. Inside the well, two partially broken bronze statues were discovered, depicting, apparently, women or girls of high status. Beside them was a plate-like vessel made of bronze.
Researchers estimate that these are not objects that were simply thrown into the well. Their location, the type of objects, and the connection of the well to a complex where pagan worship took place raise the possibility that they were placed there intentionally as part of a religious ceremony. According to the hypothesis, the offerings were placed in the well upon its opening, at the end of the 6th century or the beginning of the 5th century BCE — around the time when Kainua developed and became a city.
The bronze statues themselves provide another clue. Researchers believe they were broken intentionally, and similar figurines of women are known from other places where Etruscan rituals related to water took place. However, this is the first time such figurines have been found inside a well. The bronze vessel found at the site is also exceptional; according to the Italian Ministry of Culture, this is the only known Etruscan example of its kind made of bronze. The hypothesis is that this vessel also served as an offering in the ritual held when the well was opened.
However, the most mysterious part of the discovery came from the remains of two people. Inside the well, skeletons of an adult man and woman were found. According to the researchers, it seems they arrived at the well at a later period than the bronze objects. The very fact of finding human remains in a place used for pagan worship naturally raises the possibility of human sacrifice. However, the researchers emphasize that there is currently no evidence that the man and woman were sacrificed.
An initial examination of the skeletons did not reveal signs indicating that their death was caused as part of a ritual sacrifice. Therefore, another possibility is being examined: that the bodies were placed in the well as part of a "closing ritual." According to this hypothesis, the pagans held one ritual when the well began to be used and placed the bronze objects inside as offerings; years later, when they stopped using it, another ritual took place in which the remains of the man and woman were placed in it. At this stage, this is only a hypothesis. The researchers do not yet know who the two were, how they died, or why they were chosen.
Now, the researchers plan to perform DNA tests and carbon-14 tests on the remains. The tests may help determine when they lived, when they arrived at the well, and provide additional information about their identity and origin. After the research is completed, the bronze objects are expected to go to the National Etruscan Museum in Marzabotto.
At that same time, around the end of the 6th century and the beginning of the 5th century BCE, one of the important stages of the Second Temple period was taking place among the Jewish people. The Second Temple in Jerusalem was already standing after being rebuilt following the return to Zion, and the land of Judah was under the rule of the Persian Empire. During the 5th century BCE, Ezra the Scribe and Nehemiah also operated, who are identified with the strengthening of religious and national life in Jerusalem. That is, while in Italy the Etruscans were performing rituals to gods and goddesses, in Jerusalem the service of the Second Temple was already taking place and Judaism was re-established in the land.
