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Pompeii Find Shows Secrets Of The Samnites
The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7-5-2004 | Bruce Johnston

Posted on 07/04/2004 5:44:51 PM PDT by blam

Pompeii find shows secrets of the Samnites

By Bruce Johnston in Rome
(Filed: 05/07/2004)

The discovery in Pompeii of a pre-Roman temple is being hailed as evidence that the city was sophisticated and thriving 300 years before Vesuvius erupted.

The temple is said to be of Mephitis, a female deity worshipped by the Samnites, a mysterious ancient people who preceded the Romans in Pompeii.

The temple complex includes a sanctuary where it is thought girls from good families worked briefly in "sacred prostitution" as a rite of passage to full womanhood.

The Samnites were previously thought of as mountain warriors, whose settlements thrived due to a military pact with Rome, but archaeologists say the finds suggest instead that theirs was an advanced society in its own right.

The discovery is the result of a three-year joint project by the University of London and the University of Basilicata in Italy. It is said to have come as a "complete surprise".


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: archaeology; archeology; economic; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; history; italy; pompeii; romanempire; samnites; secrets; shows; vesuvius
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To: Martin Tell

Just so. The wars against the Samnites were almost as serious as the Punic wars against Carthage. It took the Romans a very long time to prevail.


21 posted on 07/04/2004 7:04:38 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: blam
The temple is said to be of Mephitis, a female deity worshipped by the Samnites

The Striped Skunk Goddess?!? Heh!
22 posted on 07/04/2004 7:22:07 PM PDT by GeorgeBerryman
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To: GeorgeBerryman

23 posted on 07/04/2004 7:31:18 PM PDT by blam
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To: Martin Tell

Ah, the ambush at the Caudine Forks. The Samnites probably gave the Romans more trouble than the Carthaginians, all things considered - the Battle of the Colline Gate was a near-run thing.


24 posted on 07/04/2004 7:48:28 PM PDT by SedVictaCatoni
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To: Lester Moore

Ok Lester - stop thinking right now and turn yourself into the nearest liberal arts college. You have obviously stopped taking your SOMA.


25 posted on 07/04/2004 7:59:40 PM PDT by AD from SpringBay (We have the government we allow and deserve.)
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To: pierrem15

lol


26 posted on 07/04/2004 9:01:33 PM PDT by Frank_2001
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To: The Duke

Sounds like the ancient Middle East- not too unusual in the neighborhood a little to the east of there. Had not heard of it in Italy though.
I remember that the Sumerians and Canaanites had temple prostitutes. So did the Greeks at their temple to Aphrodite in Corinth. That was not unusual in the fertility goddess cults like that of Astarte/Inanna.


27 posted on 07/04/2004 9:11:58 PM PDT by monkeyman81
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To: Khurkris

28 posted on 07/05/2004 11:05:21 AM PDT by BenLurkin ("A republic, if we can revive it")
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To: LiteKeeper

I had often wondered what your SPOTREP and INTREP pings meant - now I know. Thanks for posting this chart!


29 posted on 07/16/2004 7:50:49 AM PDT by Alex Murphy (Psalm 73)
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Just updating the GGG information, not sending a general distribution.

Please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest
-- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)

30 posted on 07/18/2005 8:46:36 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
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· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Just updating the GGG info, not sending a general distribution.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

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31 posted on 11/03/2008 8:59:51 AM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_______Profile finally updated Saturday, October 11, 2008 !!!)
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