Rain has helped uncover a small bull idol at ancient Olympia in what the Greek culture ministry said on Friday was a “chance discovery”. It said the bronze idol, found intact, was spotted by an archaeologist at the sprawling ancient site that inspired the modern Olympic Games during a scheduled visit by ministry officials. Amazingly, archaeologist Zaharoula Leventouri spotted a tiny horn jutting out from the moist soil near the temple of Zeus during the inspection, and stopped to carefully remove the soil from the area.
It was found near the temple of Zeus and the Altis, the sacred enclosure and core of the sanctuary, the ministry said. “One of its horns was poking out of the ground following recent heavy rainfall.”
The bronze bull was sent for further examination by experts at the Greek Ministry of Culture, who later determined that it had most likely been a gift dedicated to Zeus at his temple at the ancient site of Olympia. Bulls and horses were fundamental to life in ancient Greece during the period, which makes it no surprise that archaeologists have found other small bronze figurines depicting the animals near other temples and in burial sites around Greece.
Specialists also analyzed a soil sample taken from the spot where the bull was found, and discovered that the figure was likely part of a sacrifice, as there was strong evidence of burnt sediment and other charred material in the sample. In a preliminary evaluation, the idol has been dated to the Geometric period, about 1050-700BC. Burn marks suggest it was one of thousands of votive offerings to Zeus, the leading ancient Greek deity, the ministry said.
Located in the Peloponnese, Olympia was a major center of not only religious life in ancient Greece but also of sport, as it was of course the home of the original Olympic Games. The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia every four years from 776 BC to at least 393 AD, with Greek city-states setting aside their conflicts to take part. The temple to Zeus was constructed atop the ruins of a much older religious site at Olympia that dates from the ninth or tenth centuries BC.
