ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left by ancient worshippers over the centuries, Greece's Culture Ministry said Wednesday.
A ministry statement said the finds from work this year included more than 2,000 intact or almost complete clay figurines, mostly of women and children but also some of male actors, as well as of tortoises, lions, pigs and birds.
Several ceremonial pottery vessels that were unearthed are linked with the worship of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, and her daughter Persephone, to whom the excavated sanctuary complex was dedicated.
The seaside site of Vryokastro on Kythnos was the ancient capital of the island, inhabited without break between the 12th century B.C. and the 7th A.D., when it was abandoned for a stronger position during a period of pirate raids.
The artifacts came from the scant ruins of the two small temples, a long building close by that may have served as a temple storeroom and a nearby pit where older offerings were buried to make space for new ones. The sanctuary was in use for about a thousand years, starting from the 7th century B.C.
The excavation by Greece's University of Thessaly and the Culture Ministry also found luxury pottery imported from other parts of Greece, ornate lamps and fragments of ritual vases used in the worship of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis, an ancient Athens suburb.
It is unclear to what extent the site on Kythnos was associated with Eleusis -- one of the most important religious centers in ancient Greece, where the goddesses were worshipped during secret rites that were only open to initiates forbidden to speak of what they saw. The sanctuary at Eleusis is known to have owned land on the island.
Kythnos, in the Cyclades island group, was first inhabited about 10,000 years ago. Its copper deposits were mined from the 3rd millennium B.C., and in Roman times it was a place of political exile.
The excavations are set to continue through 2025.
In this photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, an ancient clay figurine of a woman among fragments of vases excavated from the remains of an ancient sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos. Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left there by ancient worshippers over the centuries, Greece's Culture Ministry said Wednesday Several ceremonial pottery vessels were also unearthed which are linked with the worship of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, and her daughter Persephone, to which the building complex was dedicated. (Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian/Greek Culture Ministry via AP)
In this photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, excavation staff work on the remains of an ancient sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos. Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left there by ancient worshippers over the centuries, Greece's Culture Ministry said Wednesday Several ceremonial pottery vessels were also unearthed which are linked with the worship of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, and her daughter Persephone, to which the building complex was dedicated. (Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian/Greek Culture Ministry via AP)
In this photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the excavated remains of an ancient sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos. Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left there by ancient worshippers over the centuries, Greece's Culture Ministry said Wednesday Several ceremonial pottery vessels were also unearthed which are linked with the worship of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, and her daughter Persephone, to which the building complex was dedicated. (Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian/Greek Culture Ministry via AP)
In this photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, an ancient clay figurine of the god Hermes found in the remains of an ancient sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos. Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left there by ancient worshippers over the centuries, Greece's Culture Ministry said Wednesday Several ceremonial pottery vessels were also unearthed which are linked with the worship of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, and her daughter Persephone, to which the building complex was dedicated. (Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian/Greek Culture Ministry via AP)
In this photo released by the Greek Culture Ministry on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. excavation staff work on the remains of an ancient sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos. Archaeologists excavating a hilltop sanctuary on the Aegean Sea island of Kythnos have discovered "countless" pottery offerings left there by ancient worshippers over the centuries, Greece's Culture Ministry said Wednesday Several ceremonial pottery vessels were also unearthed which are linked with the worship of Demeter, the ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, and her daughter Persephone, to which the building complex was dedicated. (Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian/Greek Culture Ministry via AP)