A wall painting of the Greek goddess of fortune was discovered in excavations this season at Hippos (Sussita). From the Jerusalem Post:
A wall painting (fresco) of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune, was exposed during the 11th season of excavation at the Sussita site, on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee, according to a University of Haifa statement released Thursday.
During the season of excavation, which was conducted by researchers of the University of Haifa, another female figure was found, of a maenad, one of the companions of the wine god Dionysus.
“It is interesting to see that although the private residence in which two goddesses were found was in existence during the Byzantine period, when Christianity negated and eradicated idolatrous cults, one can still find clear evidence of earlier beliefs,” said Prof. Arthur Segal and Dr. Michael Eisenberg of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, who headed the excavation.
The story continues here. You can see several enlargeable photos here.
HT: Joe Lauer
One thought on “Greek Goddess Found in Byzantine Hippos”
Maybe this should lead some people to question whether Christianity actually "eradicated idolatrous cults", especially since Tyche was pretty much seen as a civic symbol and not as much as a pagan deity.