{
  "id": 6004638,
  "title": "At least 120 Roman-era inscriptions, worship to unknown goddess identified inside Spanish cave",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/at-least-120-roman-era-inscriptions-worship-to-unknown-goddess",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-06T17:16:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-907596"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Recent excavations at Valencia’s Cova Dones in eastern Spain have uncovered at least 120 Roman-era inscriptions, shedding new light on a previously unknown goddess worshipped by women. The findings, announced in July by the University of Alicante, were made in May and June by a team led by Virginia Barciela and Aitor Ruiz-Redondo. The inscriptions, found on the walls and ceilings of a cave previously discovered in 2024, suggest that Cova Dones was a cave-sanctuary frequented by women, with several female names appearing among the documented inscriptions. Epigrapher Silvia Alfayé of the University of Zaragoza identified five votive inscriptions confirming that Roman-era visitors worshipped a deity called Domina, meaning \"the Lady\" in Latin, with three of these inscriptions bearing the previously unknown epithet MALACI. The presence of at least five inscriptions dedicated to the same deity rules out casual or one-off visits, pointing to specific cultic activity dedicated to a single goddess. The site's name, Cova de les Dones (Cave of the Women), may be a fossilization of a toponym alluding to the presence of women or female entities there.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}