Lesson 3 An unknown goddess
Some time ago, an interesting discovery was made by archaeologists on the Aegean island
of Ken.An American team explored a temple which stands in an ancient city on the promontory
of Apia Ironing.The city at one time must have been prosperous,for it enjoyed a high level of
civilization.Houses--often three stores high--were built of stone.They had large rooms with
beautifully decorated walls.The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great
many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow streets.
The temple which the archaeologists explored was used as a place of worship from the fifteenth
century B.C. until Roman times. In the most sacred room of the temple, clay fragments of fifteen
statues were found. Each of these represented  a goddess and had, at one time, been painted.
The body of one statue was found among remains dating from the fifteenth century B.C.
Its missing head happened to be among remains of the fifth century B.C. This head must have
been found in Classical times and carefully preserved. It was very old and precious even then.
When the archaeologists reconstructed the fragments, they were amazed to find that the goddess
turned out to be a very modern-looking woman. She stood three feet high and her hands rested
on her hip. She was wearing a full-length skirt which swept the ground. Despite her great age,
she was very graceful indeed, but, so far, the archaeologists have been unable to discover
her identity.