Ancient Greek altar unearthed on Italian island
STORY: Sicily's regional government said the altar was probably in use at the height of Hellenic cultural influence, just before the rise of the Roman empire in the first century before Christ (BC).
It had been buried for centuries by a few centimetres of earth and vegetation in the area of the Southern Acropolis at the Segesta site, which is in the western part of the island.
Segesta, renowned for its 5th-century-BC temple, was an ancient Greek city nestled between mountains.
Apart from the altar, archaeologists also dug out a similar-shaped relic that they believe may have been a support for a sculpture. Both finds are perfectly preserved, the regional government said.
