Archaeologists have uncovered a terracotta fragment depicting the face of Uni, one of the most important goddesses in Etruscan religion, at the ancient sanctuary of Pyrgi in central Italy. Researchers and students from Sapienza University of Rome found the fragment during new excavations near Temple B.
The building, dating to around 510 B.C., is closely associated with the worship of Uni. Sapienza announced the discovery with a brief statement: “This morning, at Pyrgi, Uni returned to look at us.”
Researchers identified the object as part of an antefix, a decorative element once placed along the edge of a tiled roof. Craftspeople often made antefixes from terracotta and decorated them with human faces, gods or other symbolic images.
Similar female-headed antefixes from Temple B were already known. The latest fragment is therefore not the first representation associated with Uni found at Pyrgi. Instead, its importance comes partly from its archaeological context and what it may reveal about the decoration of her sanctuary.
Uni connected Etruria with the wider Mediterranean
Uni held a prominent place in Etruscan religion and culture. She was later closely associated with the Roman Juno and Greek Hera. Her role extended beyond marriage and women. Evidence also connects her with political authority and the protection of communities. Another excavation at the Etruscan city of Kainua has also uncovered a sacred area dedicated to Uni, highlighting the goddess’s wider importance in Etruscan religious life.
At Pyrgi, Uni had an important international dimension. Inscriptions from the sanctuary associate her with Astarte, a major Phoenician goddess. The connection provides evidence of cultural and religious contact between Etruscans and Phoenicians across the ancient Mediterranean. Temple B had a single inner chamber, or cella, and a columned exterior. The larger Temple A was added to the sanctuary during the fifth century B.C.
Gold tablets preserve evidence of Uni’s worship
The connection between Pyrgi and Uni is unusually well documented. Archaeologists discovered three thin gold tablets at the site in 1964. Two carry Etruscan inscriptions, while the third is written in Phoenician.
The inscriptions record a dedication made by Thefarie Velianas, the ruler or chief magistrate of Caere, the powerful Etruscan city now known as Cerveteri. The Etruscan text refers to Uni, while the Phoenician inscription names Astarte.
The texts address closely related subjects rather than providing exact translations. They remain an important source for understanding Etruscan religion, language, and Mediterranean cultural contacts. The original tablets are preserved at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome.
Ancient Pyrgi stood on the Tyrrhenian coast near modern Santa Severa and served as one of Caere’s ports. Archaeological discoveries elsewhere in Italy have also shown how Etruscan communities maintained close connections with the wider Mediterranean world.
More than 50 years of Sapienza-led excavations at Pyrgi have uncovered temples, sacred buildings and rich architectural terracottas. The newly recovered face adds another piece to that record, emerging from the same religious complex where Uni was worshipped more than 2,500 years ago.
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