The pre-Roman sanctuaries

The places of worship in pre-Roman Este were located on the outskirts of the town. The artefacts on display come from three sanctuaries. The sanctuary of Reitia, near the Baratella estate, has yielded a wide variety of votive offerings that bear witness to its use from the 6th century BC right through to Roman times. These include small bronze figures of men, women, warriors and horsemen, as well as decorated metal plates and ornamental objects. The votive offerings depicting various parts of the human body indicate that Reitia was also believed to possess healing powers. In the Caldevigo area, between the 5th and 1st centuries BC, miniature spearheads were offered, along with a small bronze figure depicting the so-called Goddess of Caldevigo, who is portrayed as a devotee with her arms outstretched in a gesture of prayer, wearing the typical local costume. The Morlungo stipe between the 4th and 1st centuries BCE is characterized by ex votos reproducing female and male sexual organs.

The places of worship in pre-Roman Este were located on the outskirts of the city: the four we know of are arranged all around and at some distance from the town, almost delineating a perimeter from the countryside.

In general, these were open-air sacred places, spaces reserved for worship activities and the display of ex-votos, i.e., objects donated by the faithful to the deity to propitiate her or as thanksgiving; however, no structures assimilated to temples have been found, at least in the pre-Roman phase. Some shrines, in fact, continued to be frequented for many centuries: the one dedicated to Reitia, southeast of the city along the river, originated in the late 7th century B.C. and was frequented at least until the 2nd century A.D., with some offerings until the 4th century A.D.