Palermo’s Salinas archeological museum hosts many treasures from antiquity. Many of the findings from Selinunte are housed here, including these late-4th/mid-3rd century BCE terracotta statuettes, made in the style of those traditionally made in Tanagra, Greece north of Athens. They were found in a Punic grave site.
Tag: divine feminine
Tonight! Presentation about the Divine and Sacred Feminine Sites of Eastern Sicily
Tonight! Join me at 7:30PM Eastern online for Myths and Mysteries of Sicily: Part I, Eastern Sicily. I’ll discuss the divine feminine and sacred feminine sites in Eastern Sicily. Details and registration at Myths and Mysteries of Sicily: Part I, Eastern Sicily Update: Enjoy! RECORDINGMyths and Mysteries of Sicily: Eastern Sicily, Part Ihttps://youtu.be/R5Lsbsa1q0E
52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #24. The Mother Goddess’ Presence is Everywhere
Demeter, the goddess of the grain, female fertilization, and the harvest, who is the mother of Persephone, represents the great matriarch in ancient Greek mythology. Her power to cultivate the bounties on the Earth’s surface for us are illustrated significantly during the myth of Demeter and Kore/Persephone. Before the Christian era, the Eleusinian Mysteries (as…
Votive Offerings Through The Millennia
Archaeologists are very careful to identify to whom an ancient temple is dedicated until they have concrete evidence (and I don’t just mean concrete in the sense of stone!). In Siracusa, for example, we know that the temple to Apollo on Ortigia is for Apollo because there is an inscription on the east-facing stairs stating…
Piazza Della Vittoria Is A Victory For The Goddess
It’s not lost on me (or my friend, tour guide Rosa Rizza) that when they broke ground in 1973 at Piazza della Vittoria in Siracusa to build the Sanctuary for the Madonna of the Tears, that where they intended to place the church, they discovered the foundation of the late 5th/early 4th century BCE Sanctuary…
The Sanctuary of Demeter Malophoros, Selinunte (Part I)
The ancient Greek community of Selinunte was founded as a sub-colony of Megara Iblea in 651-650 BCE. One of the first sacred sites in the western Sicilian city, which is considered one of the world’s largest archaeological zones, is the Santuario della Malophoros or the Sanctuary of the Fruit Bearer. “Malophoros” implies pomegranates or apples,…
Myths and Mysteries of Sicily: Temple E at Selinunte
Selinunte was a Greek city built on the southwestern coast of Sicily by colonists from the eastern Sicilian Greek outpost of Megara Hyblea. Founded around 651 BCE, it displayed its power by building massive temples dedicated to the gods, like this one pictured, Temple E, which scholars believe was dedicated to Hera. The Doric-style temple…
Thank You Alessia! Viva Santa Lucia!
We had a wonderful online celebration for the Feast of Santa Lucia today! Thanks to Alessia Liistro of Smile and Food for teaching us your arancini and cuccìa recipes from your kitchen in Siracusa! Viva Santa Lucia patroness of light, eyes, wheat, grains, and the harvest!
Santa Lucia Answered Their Prayers
Today we’ll make rice balls and cuccìa at noon (eastern time) for Santa Lucia. Details at https://experiencesicily.com/santa-lucia-2020/ In the days leading up to the Feast of Santa Lucia, December 13, many Sicilians refrain from eating pasta and only eat un-ground wheat grain, or “farro,” that is prepared as a dish called cuccìa. Devotees observe this ritual…
They Stabbed Lucia With A Dagger
Please join Experience Sicily online to celebrate the Feast of Santa Lucia this Sunday, Dec. 13 at Noon Eastern. Reserve your spot at https://experiencesicily.com/santa-lucia-2020/ (Story continued from yesterday…) Like Sant’Agata of Catania before her, the maiden Lucia refused to participate in the activities of the brothel to which she was condemned. This of course, angered the…