Thousands of Water Vessels Recovered at Aigai Temple

MANİSA, TURKEY—Hürriyet Daily News reports that some 3,000 small water vessels called hydriskoi have been unearthed at a temple in western Anatolia’s ancient city of Aigai. The temple is dedicated to Demeter, the goddess of earth and fertility, and her daughter, Kore, or Persephone, who was abducted by the god of the underworld. The vessels are thought to have been used in votive offerings and purification rituals, according to Yusuf Sezgin of Manisa Celal Bayar University. He explained that the region is arid, which would have made agriculture challenging. “At certain times, clean water was presented to the goddess in small terracotta vessels during ceremonies," he said. "These sacred vessels were accumulated in a special area.” Sezgin expects to uncover more vessels at the temple site during the next excavation season. For more on the worship of Demeter and Kore, go to "Artifact: Greek Terracotta Dolls."