This paper aims to illustrate a previously unseen depiction of the river god Achelous, in the form of a protome, which was discovered by chance in January 2021 during an inspection carried out by the authors near the site of Monte Raffe, located in the municipality of Mussomeli, in the province of Caltanissetta. The finding is of considerable interest not only for its iconographic and formal characteristics, but also for the territorial context in which it was identified, which is still unknown and only partially explored. We intend to provide an overview of the Monte Raffe site, outlining its main topographical and archaeological characteristics, even though its stratigraphic legibility has been compromised by numerous illegal excavations. The analysis aims to understand the possible relationship that existed in ancient times between the cult or symbolism of Achelous and the specific territory of the Raffe mountain. In addition, it was deemed appropriate to map the thermal and hypothermal springs located in the immediate vicinity of the site to outline the geo-environmental picture of the area more precisely.
Bulgarini, Sofia; Luvaro, Andrea (Thu,) studied this question.