The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/category/news/europe)
As Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey approaches release, newly circulating archaeological findings from Ithaca reveal long-standing ritual devotion to Odysseus. The discoveries highlight how ancient storytelling shaped sacred landscapes, pilgrimage practices, and the lived religious experience of the ancient Mediterranean world.
Spain’s King Felipe VI acknowledged that “much abuse” occurred during the Spanish conquest of the Americas, a rare public admission amid ongoing tensions with Mexico over demands that Spain formally recognize and apologize for colonial-era violence against Indigenous peoples.
A medieval gold ring set with a deep blue stone has been unearthed in Norway’s oldest town, revealing not only exquisite craftsmanship but long-held beliefs in sapphire’s power to heal illness, cool “inner heat,” and guard the soul.
Excavations beneath Cologne’s future Jewish museum have uncovered a rare 2nd-century Roman household shrine: the first lararium found north of the Alp that is reshaping our understanding of domestic religion along the Rhine frontier.
Archaeologists in central Romania have uncovered a rare 7,500-year-old clay figurine depicting a female figure with arms raised in invocation. Discovered during preventive excavations, the small Neolithic artifact illuminates the symbolic and spiritual world of Europe’s earliest farming communities.
Medusa is making a little comeback. Recent archaeological discoveries in Türkiye and Austria reveal unexpected images of Medusa, from a smiling ceiling carving to a finely cut gemstone cameo. These finds highlight her ancient role as a protective figure and her enduring presence in religious, civic, and personal life.
