Recently, the tomb of an Iron Age Celtic prince has been unearthed in a small French town. The ‘exceptional’ grave, crammed with Greek and possibly Etruscan artefacts, was discovered in a business zone on the outskirts of Lavau in France’s Champagne region. The prince is buried with his chariot at the centre of a huge mound, 130 feet (40 metres) across, which has been dated to the 5th Century BC. (1)
There, an artifact with the face of Acheloos, the ancient Greek river god was unearthed.
Acheloos, a small river in Greece. (2)
Thousands of years ago people worshiped the river. Thousands of years ago people named their god after the river. Now the river flows slowly in a relatively unknown area in Greece. You may not even notice the river when passing by to get to one of the big cities of Greece nearby for tourism. And you will certainly never realize how your life was affected by that very river whose name eludes you.
But your life was affected. People were affected by that small river. People who lived in the past. People who created your future. People you never knew but who were the ones who set the foundations for the whole civilization to be. Their ghosts live with you. Along you. Every day. You may believe that the old gods are dead. But they are immortal. Inside your self. You were shaped with them.
Take a stroll.
Look at the small river flowing next to you.
Pay attention.
It’s not just a small river.
It is You.
