Archaeologists have unearthed an archive in the burned Roman city of Dolice – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

The archaeological mission of the Asia Minor Research Center of the University of Münster, while carrying out excavations in the ancient city of Dolice in Turkey, discovered a rare archive in which thousands of seal impressions were preserved.

Arkeonews reports on the discovery. The ancient city of Dolice is located in the southeast of Türkiye. It was here that German archaeologists, together with their Turkish colleagues, excavated a partially preserved municipal archive. In total, more than 2,000 seal impressions were discovered that were used to seal documents in Roman times.

There were similar archives in every city at that time. As in our times, for example, they stored agreements and contracts. However, until recently archaeologists were only able to find a few archival buildings from the Roman Empire. Also in this case the remains of what was once a large archive were found, the seal impressions of which, by the way, are well preserved. Their study will provide scientists with new knowledge about the ancient administrative system.

Judging by the description, the impressions found are stamped pieces of clay ranging in size from approximately five millimeters to two centimeters. They were used to seal papyrus and parchment, which were the most important documents.

“The images on the official seals of a city are directly related to it,” says one of the leaders of the research mission, Michael Blömer, “they usually represent the most important gods, such as Jupiter Dolichen, the main deity.” . from this city. The gods on the seals give us an insight into the religious practices of the local inhabitants. The mythical figures and rare private portraits depicted in the engravings also indicate a strong Greco-Roman influence.”

Of the archive building, built from solid limestone blocks, only the lower layers of the foundation remain, adds Engelbert Winter, another leader of the research mission. “However, they show a sequence of rooms that join together to form an elongated complex of buildings. The exact size cannot yet be determined. At the moment, we know that the building was eight meters wide and 25 meters long. . The width of the walls suggests that it was several stories high.”

The Dolice archive probably contained many documents. Traces of fire discovered by archaeologists indicate that they were destroyed as a result of a strong fire. Perhaps this happened during the war between Rome and Persia. The Persian king Shapur I is known to have destroyed many cities in the Roman province of Syria, including Dolice, and this happened in 253 AD. After the fire, the city center, which included the bath complex and the monumental temple, It was never rebuilt. Thus, artifacts that appeared before 253 AD fell into the hands of archaeologists.