Two rare and almost life-seized statues have been discover during the digging of a massive tomb in Pompeii, Italy.
According to CNN, the marble memorial statues of a toga-clad man and a woman highlighted the power priestesses held in the ancient city, which was destroyed, when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
The unearthed statues, just outside the Porto Sarno entrance gates of the dead city, showed the woman statue being slightly taller than that of man.
She is decorated with jewellery such as bracelets, rings, and a necklace with a crescent moon pendant, a known practice of priestesses of the cult of Ceres, who was considered a goddess of fertility, motherly relationships, and agriculture.
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The "lunula" or crescent moon pendant was worn to fight off evil forces from birth to marriage.
According to the research paper published on the discovery, "The symbol of the crescent moon also had an atavistic and primordial meaning, linked to the fertility of the earth, abundance and rebirth, and influenced by the lunar cycles."
While discussing the potential relationship between the man and woman, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii archaeological park shared that the woman's statue's accessories suggest that she had more elevated status than the man.
Zuchtriegel further added, that this could suggest that they might have not been married and instead the man could have been a priest or the woman's son.
The archaeologists have been unearthing the city of Pompeii since the 1700's, after it has stayed buried under ash and volcanic glass since Vesuvius's eruption.
Furthermore, the statues have been moved to the Palestra Grande, the largest open space in Pompeii, to be restored.
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They are set to be featured in the exhibition "Being a Woman in Ancient Pompeii," which will open in the archaeological park on April 16, 2025.
