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Archaeologists uncover a amber votive offer to a war god while excavating a 1,800 - year - honest-to-goodness Roman fort in the country of Georgia .
" This slight shell , grave in Greek , was a dedication to Jupiter Dolichenus , a deity especially fear by papistical soldiers , " the Polish - Georgian archaeologic team wrote in astatement , calling it " unique . "
While excavating the Gonio-Apsaros Fortress in the country of Georgia, archaeologists found a votive gold offering (left inset) and the remains of a mosaic, a reconstruction of which is seen here.
" He was the god of war and victory,“Natalia Lockley , an archeologist at the University of Warsaw ’s and the deputy straits of the Polish side of the despatch , order Live Science in an email .
The god ’s name combine the papistical god Jupiter — " the god of the sky , violent storm and lightning , " Lockley tell — with Dolichenus , a god associated with scag whose religious cult was ground at the urban center of Doliche in what is now Turkey . The cultus of Jupiter Dolichenus " spread throughout theRoman Empire , reaching a peak of popularity between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD , " Lockley sound out .
There is likely a sanctuary to Jupiter Dolichenus at the R.C. military situation , known as the Gonio - Apsaros Fortress , that has not yet been found , and archeologist hope to find it in next time of year , according to the statement . It ’s possible that soldiers intended to offer up the gold artefact to the god at this chancel perhaps by placing it on a wall or an altar , Lockley tell .
A digital reconstruction of the house where the garrison commander likely lived.(Image credit: Radoslaw Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski and Mateusz Osiadacz)
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In the ancient world , people often made votive offerings to immortal . Sometimes people would make them in the hope that the deity will intervene and help oneself them in some way . A votive offering to Jupiter Dolichenus might have been made in the hope that it will help achieve triumph in fight .
Mosaics, kilns and a winepress
— 1,700 - yr - old Roman fort discovered in Germany was built to keep out barbarians
— cadaver of 1,600 - year - honest-to-goodness papistical fortress unearthed in Turkey
— ' Lost ' 2nd - century Roman Catholic garrison discovered in Scotland
The remains of amphorae at the site.(Image credit: Marcin Matera)
The team made other finds at the fort , including the corpse of a photomosaic in a business firm that was likely used by the commander of the Roman fort . The newfound mosaic in all likelihood depict a geometric motif , but " due to the extensive damage to the new mosaic , we are still analyze and piecing together its traffic pattern , " Lockley said , note that some of its sherd show red and pinkish lines on a white ground .
The team also happen the remains of a winepress and kilns that were used for firing amphorae , pottery vessels that were sometimes used to store wine . These discover suggest that wine was made there and was possibly export to other sites .
The remains of the 1,800-year-old mosaic archaeologists found at the site.(Image credit: Radoslaw Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski )
