Ancient sacred pool identified in Sicily

Researchers have identified an ancient sacred pool in Sicily they say is aligned with the stars which helped locals with navigation thousands of years ago.

But new analysis has revealed it was a sacred pool at the centre of a huge religious compound.

The basin was first constructed around 550 BC, when the ancient island city was rebuilt after an attack by Rome’s ancient rival Carthage.

When it was discovered in the 1920s, centuries after first being built, archeologists concluded it was an artificial harbour because of its structural similarity to a military port in Carthage.

However, the results of new research at Motya published Wednesday in the journal Antiquity, reveals that the basin was bordered by temples with a statue of the Canaanite deity Ba’al on a plinth in the centre.