An artificial lake discovered in Italy in 1920 has been discovered to be a "sacred pond" built two and a half thousand years ago, keeping in mind the directions and alignment of the stars.
It should be noted that the same is said for the pyramids of Egypt that they were built in line with the stars. However, such examples are rare in Europe.
The artificial lake (which new research has proven to be a sacred pond) was part of the ancient city of Motya on the island of San Pentillo in western Sicily.
Pearl was the main city of the Phoenician Empire 2,500 years ago, which also had the status of a port.
For almost 100 years after the discovery, it was thought to be an artificial lake connected to the port of Motiya for boats and small ships.
Ten years of new research has shown that this idea was wrong and that it was not an artificial lake.
In contrast, it was a large and sacred pool with a statue of a deity called Ba'al.
The study, published in the latest issue of the research journal Antiquity, published by Cambridge University Press, shows that the statue was erected on a square stone in the middle of the pool.
The statue deteriorated over time, but its footprints can still be seen today.
The pond is now larger than the Olympic pond, which was supplied with water from a nearby spring.
The large canals flowing out of the pond, formerly considered canals, were used for drainage and the water was carried to the sea.
Above all, however, it turned out that the pool was specially designed with the directions and arrangement of the stars in mind.
On certain nights of the year, a cluster of stars appeared almost above the pool (on the head of the god Baal), the reflection of which could be seen in its clear water.
Despite all these discoveries, it remains to be seen whether religious rites were performed here on such occasions.
Suppose some religious rites were performed here in the alignment of the stars, then what was their nature? More excavations and research are needed in this area to find out.
This and other similar investigations show that the direction and locations of the stars were of great importance in ancient times, which we have just begun to discover.