SEE: Divers off the coast of Sicily, Italy were able to find a shipwreck dating back more than 2,000 years ago, to the era of the Roman Republic and the First Punic War.
TAKEAWAYS
- It is the largest collection of Latin rock inscriptions found in the Roman Empire.
- Archaeologists studied five separate inscriptions, noting that most are believed to date between 1 and 2 AD.
- The inscriptions reveal the important role played by women in the religious practices of the region.
VALENCIA, Spain – Archaeologists have discovered the largest collection of Latin rock inscriptions from the Roman Empire in Spain.
DONARQ project leaders have announced surprising new details about rock inscriptions, first observed in 2024, revealing the important role played by women in the region’s religious practices.
In 2024, archaeologists discovered a Roman sanctuary hidden more than 200 meters underground.
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After recent months of epigraphic analysis to understand, study and date the inscriptions, researchers from the University of Zaragoza, the University of Southampton and the University of Alicante have determined that the Romans at the secret sanctuary worshiped a goddess known as Domina.
They also determined that women played an important and active role in the worship of the deity.
Dr Silvia Alfayé and Dr Sergio García-Dils working in the Roman sanctuary.
(DONARQ Project / University of Southampton)
“This evidence agrees remarkably well with epigraphic data indicating the active participation of women in the ritual life of the sanctuary,” said Dr. Virginia Barciela of the University of Alicante.
Archaeologists studied five separate inscriptions, noting that most are believed to date between 1 and 2 AD.
Researchers also note that those who worshiped the deity believed it to be related to water.
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Various inscriptions are well preserved on the walls and ceilings of the cave, and the floor is made up of natural pools formed by mineral deposits, with a system of water-flowing caves that help it retain water.
It should be noted that the site was not simply used for normal religious purposes, but rather was the specific site of a particular cult worshiping the deity.
Illustration from the end of the 19th century.
(Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis/Getty Images)
The pools could have served as places where visitors made a wide range of ritual offerings. Ritual objects include rings, bracelets, chalice-shaped vessels, spindles, ceramic fragments, faunal remains, and other materials.
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The presence of spindle whorls indicates the supply of spindles, a textile working tool typically associated with women.
This site is known as Cova de les Dones (Women’s Cave), and each discovery like this reinforces the idea that this place served as a landmark for communities in the region for thousands of years.
Battle of Mutina (present-day Modena, Italy), 43 BC BC, between Octavian and Marc Antony – Final war of the Roman Republic / Antony’s civil war. Emperor Augustus (63 BC – 14 AD / Gaius Octavius / Octavian, renamed Augustus in 27 BC). Liebig collector’s card, 1939 Liebig S 1391 / F1386
(Cultural Club/Bridgeman / Getty Images)
It offers an insight into the lifestyle of women of a certain social class in the early empire under Emperor Augustus, great-nephew of Julius Caesar.
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These inscriptions are exceptionally rare, providing a deep dive into the daily lives of various Romans, their social status and lifestyles, while lasting so long.
Researchers have yet to study a substantial portion of the Cova Dones, and many more inscriptions await study.
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