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Archeologists in the historic port city of Ostia Antica outside Rome found a variety of well-preserved relics at the bottom of a 2,000-year-old well.
Knewz.com has learned that the discovery included pieces of glass, ceramic, and burned animal remains.
The Italian news agency, Agenzia Nova, reported that the well was found during a “general reorganization” of the archeological ruins ahead of the site’s reopening to the public.
The well is located at the steps of the Temple of Hercules, which was built around 300 B.C.
There are other buildings connected to Roman worship in the complex like the Temple of Tetrastyle and the round altar where generals of said empire called upon the priests to predict the outcome of their upcoming conquests.
The well was reported to be at least three meters deep and brimming with water. It surrendered a wide variety of memorabilia including “miniaturistic” items made of ceramic, lamps, pieces of glass vessels, pieces of marble, peach pips, the remains of what could have been a perfectly crafted chalice, along with animal bones suspected to have been used in religious rituals.
Agenzia Nova claims that the existence of pottery and earthenware alongside the animal remains - which it claims belong to cattle or pigs - is indicative of feasting and “banquets in honor of divinity.”
These remains are suspected to have landed in the well when they were no longer useful and remained almost inviolate thanks to the absolute lack of oxygen in the mud where they were buried.
The discovery drew an official statement from the country’s cultural minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano.
“Ostia Antica is a marvel,” he said of the harbor town that ancient Romans considered their first colony.
“It represents one of the most important archeological sites in our nation, within which there are great values. And, above all, there is a great history, the history of Ancient Rome,” Agenzia Nova reported him saying.
Minister Sangiuliano went on to emphasize the relevance of the discovery saying, “I congratulate those who are working on these excavations and those who are making it possible to bring to light very important testimonies, which are the identity geography of our nation.”
The settlement of Ostia was originally a port settlement and commercial center on the Red Sea at the mouth of the Tiber River (hence its name, which means “mouth”) with its founding based on salt processing around 700 BCE, per Britannica.
Later, between 264 and 201 BCE, the port became a naval base and serviced ships involved in the Punic wars that destroyed Carthage (now Tunisia).
However, due to the natural growth of the river delta, it now lies four miles upstream from the sea.
Sangiuliano also noted that the site's opening to the public was on the cards.
He said: “The restoration project of the sacred area, drawn up by Studio Strati and directed by the Park architect Valeria Casella, will soon allow one of the oldest and most evocative complexes in Ostia to reopen to the public, allowing visitors to access the Temple cell of Hercules, hitherto forbidden.”