A Gold Artifact That May Be An Offering To An Ancient Deity Was Found At A Roman Fortress
A gold artifact that may be an offering to an ancient deity has been found at a Roman fortress in Georgia, suggesting that there was once a temple nearby.
The fortress is known as Apsaros, and it sits on the western coast of Georgia in what is now the town of Gonio. The fort was built when the area was part of the Roman Empire around 2,000 years ago.
During the Roman period, Apsaros was of particular importance to the Roman emperors Trajan, who ruled from A.D. 98 to 117, and Hadrian, who ruled from A.D. 117 to 138.
Since 2014, researchers have been exploring the site. The gold artifact was found during this year’s excavations. It is a thin gold plate that features a Greek inscription dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus.
He was the god of war and victory. The deity was a combination of the Roman sky god Jupiter and the thunder god Dolichenus, who is worshipped in what is now southeastern Turkey.
Jupiter Dolichenus became popular throughout the Roman Empire, reaching a peak between the first and third centuries. He was especially popular among Roman soldiers.
“Votive placards were left by worshippers at places of worship for various deities,” said Radosław Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, one of the leaders of the excavation from the Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw.
“Few gold plaques have survived, but it can be assumed that in the Roman period, worshippers left many at places of worship for various deities.”
The new discovery of the votive plaque indicates that there was a temple of Jupiter Dolichenus near the fort that has yet to be found. Religious soldiers may have left the golden plaque as an offering to boost their luck on the battlefield.
dudlajzov – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only – pictured above is the Roman fortress at Gonio in Georgia
The researchers think that Apsaros was used as a manufacturing hub when the Roman army was not stationed there.
They uncovered kilns for firing amphorae, ancient containers that typically held wine and olive oil, and a wine press in the fort.
Additionally, several mosaics were unearthed from the fort’s ruins. Investigations at the residence of the fort’s commander, known as Arrian’s House, revealed the third mosaic found in the building. Some fragments have been transported to a local museum for restoration work.
The mosaic had shattered into many pieces because of an earthquake. It had a single red stripe against a light-colored background, likely forming a “meander pattern.”
The researchers have managed to create a digital reconstruction of what the fortress may have looked like.
They did not have much to go on and were only able to create the reconstruction as the result of meticulous analysis.
“We hope that further research will not only find the temple of Jupiter Dolichenus at Apsaros but also confirm that Oriental influence spread west and north to many garrisons, including through soldiers periodically stationed at Apsaros,” Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski said.
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