Message #47067

[Giovanni Magna]

Layered history

A myth, she said, could often spark a search for a truth.


 
Probes revealed a ceiling with a white eagle at the centre
 

"In many cases, the myths that have come down to us have generated archaeological investigation," she said.


Myths woven around a site could encourage people to build above it, leading to layers of history and mythology in a single, culturally important place, she explained.

"In pre-history you will find reoccupation of a site over time because a site has a certain sanctity, for example. In the Roman period, a temple is built to venerate an ancestor but also because the site has gained the reputation for being sacred."