sanctuary of Persephone

ancient site, Italy

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July 1, 2026

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The sanctuary of Persephone was an ancient site discovered at Locri Epizephyrii, an ancient Greek city in southern Italy. Founded around 680 BC, Locri Epizephyrii was known for its written laws, given by Zaleucus. The city played a role in conflicts with Croton and Athens before eventually falling under Roman control in 205 BC. Excavations at the site revealed a temple and the sanctuary dedicated to Persephone, the Greek goddess of agriculture and the underworld, whose myth is central to the Eleusinian Mysteries.123

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Locri Epizephyrii
…disclosed a Doric temple, a sanctuary of Persephone, and numerous 5th-century-bc terra-cotta native plaques (pinakes). The discovery of prehistoric objects confirmed the accounts by Thucydides and Polybius that the Greeks were not the first settlers.
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…disclosed a Doric temple, a sanctuary of Persephone, and numerous 5th-century-bc terra-cotta native plaques (pinakes). The discovery of prehistoric objects confirmed the accounts by Thucydides and Polybius that the Greeks were not the first settlers.
Read More