Statuettes of the ancient Greek goddess Demeter and her daughter have been discovered in Anapa, a town in Russia.
Demeter was the Ancient Greek goddess of harvest and agriculture, presiding over grains and fertility of the earth. She was one of the most prominent figures in Greek mythology and she is one of the 12 most important Greek gods and goddesses. Apart from being the goddess of harvest and agriculture, Demeter was also seen as the goddess of Earth and the underworld. She was a central figure of Eleausinian Mysteries, the “most famous of the secret religious rites of ancient Greece”. Moreover, there was a major festival dedicated to her which was called Thesmophoria. The most famous myth featuring Demeter is the loss and recovery of her daughter Persephone; and she is often depicted in art and literature in relation to this myth.
The discovery was carried out by the staff of the Institute for History and Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The two intact terracotta semi-figures made more than two thousand years ago were found at a swimming pool construction site in a sanatorium in Anapa.
They will be donated to the Anapa museum.
The excavation was carried on the western outskirts of the ancient Greek city of Gorgippia that was there in the 4th-2nd century B.C.
Other objects discovered: Turkish smoking pipes, coffee cups, and Russian silver coins dating back to 1818-1913.