A find of considerable historical and archaeological interest has been unearthed in the Orto Fontanelle area in Gela , Sicily, where preventive archaeology activities have returned an object unusual in quality and preservation. It is a bone potter’s stylus, 13.2 centimeters long, found intact and characterized by particularly careful workmanship. The most obvious decorative element is a carved male head in the upper section, interpreted as a herm of Dionysus. In the middle section, on the other hand, a representation of an erect phallus appears, an iconography known in the Greek world but rarely found on instruments of this type.
The formal characteristics and fine workmanship allow the object to be placed in the fifth century B.C., a period of great cultural vitality for ancient Gela. For the city, this is a find that broadens the picture of knowledge about the craft activities active in the area and testifies to the presence of ceramic productions equipped with specialized tools. The discovery took place as part of excavations arranged by the Caltanissetta Superintendency and conducted under the scientific direction of archaeologist Gianluca Calà, commissioned by the City of Gela. The investigations are taking place in conjunction with work on the new Palace of Culture planned in the area of the Orto Fontanelle construction site.
“Once again,” said Councillor for Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, “Gela returns important pieces of history that contribute to increasing the culture of an area that in antiquity played a central role and that, thanks to the presence of so many emergencies of an archaeological nature, can really grow and become a point of reference for the sector.”
“This stylus truly represents a unicum in the archaeological landscape of the time,” said Caltanissetta Cultural Heritage Superintendent Daniela Vullo, “probably used as a gift to the divinity, for its peculiarities it deserves to be exhibited and returned to public enjoyment.”
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| Found at Gela in Sicily an extremely rare potter's stylus from the 5th century BC. |
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