Vacuna, the goddess who exists and does not exist
by Enrica Tedeschi Those who considered her indigenous and autochthonous (Vespasian and Titus Tatius) defined her as daughter of Sabo, mythical king of the Sabines, and granddaughter of Sanco (god of oaths, main male Sabine deity). According to other narratives (Varro and Dionysius of Halicarnassus), the goddess arrived in Italy with the Pelasgians...
The piceni rings, female emblem
by Francesca Principi The large knotted rings are one of the most characteristic symbols of the Piceno culture even though they remain, to this day, finds whose true meaning remains mostly obscure. To understand the cultural context in which these objects were created, it is of fundamental importance to make a premise on identity…
Etruscan Women of Power
by Giulia Goggi The condition of Etruscan women seems to have been freer than that of contemporary women. It has been hypothesized that they knew how to write and read and the inscriptions on some mirrors could be related to this, explaining the scenes represented. In the Etruscan inscriptions the…
Paleolithic “mon amour”
by Elvira Visciola Marija Gimbutas spoke of ancient Europe for the Neolithic, including a vast territory in which populations moved bringing with them their own customs and traditions which they transferred to the populations they met. In reality, although the traces are more fleeting and distant even by several thousand…
The little idol of the Galassina of Castelvetro (MO)
by Valentina Mauriello Castelvetro is a small town located on the first hills of the Modenese Apennines, straddling the Guerro stream, a tributary of the Panaro river, famous for the beauty of the historic village and for the food and wine offer of typical Emilian products, among which Lambrusco stands out and Balsamic Vinegar. The surrounding grounds are teeming with…
The diamond-shaped idols
by Barbara Crescimanno At the Salinas Archaeological Museum in Palermo are preserved two "lozenge" idols in dark clay, about 10 cm high, dating back to the Middle Eneolithic (mid-XNUMXrd millennium BC) and found in a tomb found in front of the Park gate of the Regia Favorita, in Piazza Leoni, in the plain that…
The Call of Mefitis
by Antonella della Morte (Alma) and Alfredo Finotto (Frædior)Taken from Sarah Perini (edited by) – Riflessi della Dea – La Cicala – Oneiros – 2022 There is a place in the middle of Italy, under high mountains, noble and celebrated for fame in many districts, the Valli d'Ansanto: dark with dense fronds…
Dancing bodies: dance as an expression of the sacred
by Alessandra Fumai Describing a culture starting from the body, starting from the way in which the bodies cadence the ritual and daily space, can provide a non-naive reading of social organizations different from ours. When it comes to matriarchy and matriarchal culture we must, in my opinion, maintain a…
The creation myth in Paleolithic caves
by Alessandra De Nardis An article by the French journalist Manon Meyer appeared on National Geographic on January 3, 2023 entitled: "Why did prehistoric men and women paint in caves?"; the text is an interview with Jean-Loïc Le Quellec, prehistoric archaeologist, anthropologist and director emeritus of research at the CNRS who of…
The figurine of Passo di Corvo, "between dream, death and ecstasy" - Contrada Arpinova (FG)
by Maria Laura Leone The famous statue of Passo di Corvo was found in the Neolithic village of the same name in the plain of Foggia, at the foot of the Gargano mountains. It has been photographed and analyzed several times, commented in various writings [1]; and portrayed in a relief that clearly highlights its symbols, described…