Asia

In October 1938, Italian archaeologist Amedeo Maiuri made a remarkable discovery during excavations at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii — a small, intricately carved ivory statuette of a female figure, almost certainly of Indian origin. The artifact, known today as the Pompeii Lakshmi or Pompeii Yakshi, had been crafted thousands of miles away, yet found its way into the heart of the Roman world, buried beneath the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius. Scholars continue to debate whether the figure depicts Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of fortune, or a yakshi, a nature spirit associated with fertility and abundance. What is beyond dispute, however, is what the statuette represents: a vivid, tangible link between two of the ancient world's greatest civilizations