Archaeologists discover a 4,000-year-old monolith near a brutally murdered woman's ancient remains in Cyprus
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Reported by IFL Science:
Across the island of Cyprus, archaeologists have discovered the ancient remains of young women who appear to have been murdered before being sealed inside buildings, as if to separate them from both the living and the dead. The latest discovered victim of this grisly practice was recently unearthed at the Bronze-Age site of Erimi, where researchers also came across a mysterious 2.3-meter (7.5-foot) high monolith that they estimate was erected some 4,000 years ago.
Located on a limestone terrace near the present-day city of Limassol, Erimi was a thriving artisan settlement that experienced its heyday during the Middle Bronze Age, between 2000 and 1600 BCE. The town’s inhabitants are thought to have prospered thanks to their expertise in producing dyed fabrics, and previous excavations have revealed the presence of workshops, warehouses, dyeing vats, residential areas and a cemetery.
The recently discovered monolith was found inside a small “sacred space” in the middle of the workshop complex, indicating that the commercial and religious activities of the site’s ancient inhabitants may have been connected. In a statement, Erimi Archaeological Project director Professor Luca Bombardieri explained that the small consecrated room is in fact “the oldest sacred building attested in Cyprus”, and that its “ritual function and ideological value seem to be of particular significance.”
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