Archaeologists in southern Italy discovered ancient warrior helmets and the ruins of a painted brick wall at a site that may have been a precursor to a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, officials said Tuesday.

Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said remains excavated in the popular tourist area of ​​Velia were found in what had been an acropolis of one of Magna Graecia's most important cities. Velia is 40 kilometers southeast of Paestum, a much-visited site of ancient Greek temples.

The recently completed excavation at Velia revealed a pair of helmets in good condition, the remains of a building, vases with the Greek inscription for "sacred" and metal fragments of what may have been weapons, the Ministry of Culture announced.

State Museum director Massimo Osanna, who previously long-directed excavations at Pompeii, Italy's most famous excavated site, said the area explored at Velia may contain relics of offerings made to Athena, the Greek mythological goddess of war and wisdom, after a key battle in the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea.

In the 6th century BC Battle of Alalia off the coast of Corsica, Greek forces were victorious over Etruscan forces and their Carthaginian allies.

Velia is famous for being the home of an ancient Greek school of philosophy, including the philosophers Parmenides and Zeno. It was part of Magna Graecia, the area of ​​southern Italy colonized by Greek city-states. The settlement at Velia occupied an upper part, or acropolis, of the area as well as the slopes of the hills and was surrounded by a wall. The ancient name of the city was Elea.

The founding of Velia dates back to around 540 BC by colonists from Asia Minor. Franceschini said the discoveries underscored the importance of investing in archaeological research to uncover "important parts of the history of the Mediterranean."