[Archaeology Magazine] Gold votive plaqueNatalia Lockley
Posted on 11/02/2024 11:32:45 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
During the Roman period, Apsaros was an important port and garrison on the Colchis coast—a term that refers to a historical region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, roughly corresponding to what is now western Georgia—Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski said. Apsaros, constructed around 2,000 years ago, was of particular importance in the time of the Roman emperors Trajan (who ruled from A.D. 98-117) and Hadrian (who ruled from A.D. 117-138).
The votive plaque found during the 2024 excavation season at the site, which ran from mid-May to the end of July, is essentially a thin gold plate. It features a Greek inscription dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus—a deity worshipped in the Roman Empire who was particularly revered by soldiers. The deity combined aspects of the Roman god Jupiter with an ancient Near Eastern storm and fertility deity worshipped at Doliche in what is now southeastern Turkey...
Another key finding during this year's excavations were the remains of kilns used for firing amphorae, ancient container vessels that were often used to store and transport wine. The discovery confirms that there was a ceramic production center at Apsaros when the Roman army was not stationed there, according to the archaeologists. Amphorae produced in the Colchis coast region were widely used around the Black Sea...
During the latest excavation season, work also continued at the residence of the garrison commander, known as Arrian's House. These investigations uncovered the third mosaic found in the building. The mosaic has been partially preserved on-site while some vulnerable fragments were transferred to a local museum for conservation.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
[Archaeology Magazine] Gold votive plaqueNatalia Lockley
Solid gold or gold leaf?
It looks like a leaf to me...
Of course, a gold idol of that size would be difficult to lift in one hand, and the volume of sand required to match the weight and not trigger the trap would be very large. Funny, I’ve never seen anyone online complain about that, and they complain about physics errors in every sci-fi movie and tv show ever made.
If they had solid gold back then, it’s a good bet they had dancers.
Fair point!
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