THREE THOUSAND YEAR OLD SCULPTURE DISCOVERED WITH HUMAN FINGERPRINTS AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE IN ITALY

Gran Carro di Bolsena, an area rich in volcanoes in Aiola, Italy, is somewhat of a mystery that scientists have only recently started to solve. And now they have discovered a fragment that might provide a little more understanding of the people who formerly lived in this area. Divers working at the underwater archaeological site discovered an Iron Age clay figurine.

The discovery was shared on the Southern Etruria Fine Arts Landscape Superintendence of Archeology Facebook page. The figurine, which dates to between the 10th and 9th centuries BCE, appears to be an incomplete clay representation of a woman. It is not a finished piece, but it is smaller than the palm of a human hand and bears the marks of artisanal creation. It has fingerprints and an impression of a piece of cloth beneath the chest, which suggests that the figurine was probably once "dressed."

"According to a statement from the Superintendence, this is an extraordinary discovery, a unicum at this time from this significant archaeological context that is restoring elements of everyday life of the early Iron Age (late 10th century BCE–early 9th century BCE), still little known in southern Etruria."

The statuette was discovered in what was formerly a residential area, despite the fact that experts claim it resembles something they would typically find in funeral homes. The Superintendence states that the object's discovery inside one of the excavated structures "is to be considered votive in nature, probably to be related to some kind of domestic ritual, as also attested in later periods." "Underwater restorers from CSR Restoration of Cultural Heritage recovered the artefact and conducted preliminary conservation work after personnel from our Underwater Archaeology Service made the discovery."

 Even though the article has raised more questions than it has answers, experts will undoubtedly be able to learn more about the way of life of those who formerly lived in this area—an endeavour that was started only in 1991. Back then, scientists found evidence of the presence of hot thermal water springs connected to the pile of angular stones that makes up Aiola. They also found fragments of ceramic and wooden poles from the early Iron Age found on the lake's southwest shore.