It Seemed Like A Normal Dig Site, Until Archaeologists Began To Decipher The Strange Writing

In the modern-day Turkish city of Denisi, archaeologists have been hard at work excavating various sites. The team has been focusing their attention on areas that were once a central location of the ancient Roman Empire.

One particular site they are working on has delivered some incredible finds in the past. However, in 2019, the team was astonished when they uncovered an ancient artifact that nobody was expecting to find, especially in the location that it was discovered.

One aspect that made this discovery so miraculous is that historical digs have taken place in the area they were working on since the 19th century. The location had once been home to the ancient city of Lodia, which was part of the Roman province of Friia. Lodia had been a key point in a massive trade network and therefore became quite wealthy because of it. Considering that the area was a significant location during the time of the Roman Republic, archaeologists have deemed it a significant place of study.

Detailed excavations of the area first began around 2002 and continued until recently in 2019. It was announced that what the team had discovered was considered one of, if not the most, significant finds. The experts responsible for uncovering this ancient treasure were part of the excavation committee of the ancient city of Lodia. The team was led by Salal Simsek from Denisi’s POM University.

To understand the importance of the team’s discovery, it’s important to understand the history of Lodia as it had existed under the rule of the Roman Republic. Interestingly, Lodia supposedly first came on the map as the Greek town known as Diospolis, which translates to mean “city of Zeus.” The area also had the name Rodus at one point. At some time around the 3rd century BC, Antiochus Sakin established the soon-to-be Roman city in the area.

After establishing the city and taking control of the area, he supposedly named Lodia after his wife, who was named Lodis. By 188 BC, it had become part of the Kingdom of Pergamon. Then, from 133 BC onwards, the city became part of the Roman Republic.

Unfortunately, between 88 BC to 63 BC, the Roman Republic was deeply involved in the Mithridatic Wars, and Lodia suffered greatly during this period of conflict Rome was involved with. However, the city seemed to bounce back with relative ease unlike some other places.

As the Roman Empire reached its end and the rise of the Roman Empire began, the city took advantage of the situation and prospered. It rapidly grew to become an incredibly wealthy city, with all manners of goods and money running through it.

During the time of the Roman Empire, Lodia was considered to be of great importance. Its success extended well into the Byzantine Empire. During the Roman era, the city saw a variety of leaders come and go over the years. However, it appears that one Roman leader had a particular impact on the city and the people of Lodia revered him.

This was the Roman Emperor Trajan, who reigned between 98 and 117 AD. Trajan was considered one of the most influential leaders to ever rule the Roman Empire. One of the main reasons behind this was that Trajan bravely led the Empire during one of its most significant periods of military expansion.

Long before he became the Emperor or even picked up a sword, Trajan was born in Italica, located near what is now the modern-day Spanish city of Seville. He grew up to serve as a senior commander in the Roman army, earning an impressive reputation for his leadership and prowess in battle.

On January 27th, 98 AD, Trajan ascended the throne of the Roman Empire as a new emperor. He immediately began expanding the Empire, taking over Naatia, an area that straddled parts of what are now Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Once he took Naatia, he established a new province called Arabia Petraea.

As a result of Trajan’s conquests, the Roman Empire expanded to control most of the world it would ever achieve, and his people loved him for it. For everything he accomplished in his life, he was given the title of Optimus Princeps, which meant the best ruler. However, in the middle of 117 AD, he became ill while aboard a ship and died in the town of Salinus on August 8th of the same year at the age of 63.

This act did not go unnoticed by the citizens of Lodia, and they created a way to thank him for all that he did for them. When Cal Simsek and his team announced in 2019 that they discovered what looked to be a statue of Trajan within Lodia, not everyone was incredibly surprised. However, what made the find astonishing was the sheer scale of the statue that had been built for Trajan as a tribute.

The statue that they had uncovered of the emperor appeared to be unparalleled in size. The statue found beneath the ground featured Trajan in his military attire, dressed in classic armor that protected the front of his body, on top of a robe fastened to his left shoulder and wrapped around one of his arms.

Besides the statue being significant in itself, the archaeologists revealed that it was actually uncovered together with a significant inscription – the Water Law, considered one of the most important pieces of legislation in Roman society.

The civilization was innovative in terms of its water systems. However, these things had to be regulated, so a series of pipes were designed to transport water throughout major Roman urban centers. The Water Law was strictly enforced by the Roman government and dictated that those who tampered with the sewage system were harshly fined.

Furthermore, according to the archaeologists excavating the site, the sculpture was made with such precision that it’s almost as if Trajan had modeled for the statue himself. If not, then the artists who made the statue more than likely knew the emperor personally because the features were too precise.

When the statue was finally uncovered by the excavation team, it was found in an astonishing 356 different fragments from beneath the water fountain. It is assumed that the statue had been so broken down due to an earthquake that had struck the region, burying the city in a vast amount of rubble.

The experts estimated that the sculpture of the great emperor is over 1,900 years old, dating back to the year 113 AD. Despite almost being 2,000 years old and shattered into hundreds of pieces, the stonework has held up impressively well throughout the years.

The archaeologists were thrilled by their find. In addition to the countless artifacts discovered within the city walls, an aqueduct was also uncovered some miles outside of the city. It is believed that this aqueduct would have fed water into a series of complex pipes that would have distributed the water throughout the city of Lodia.

Fortunately, if you find the ancient city of Lodia particularly interesting, you’ll be pleased to learn that the city is a popular tourism site. Finances are partly contributed by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, ensuring that many of the remains found were repaired and put on display.

The archaeology team that discovered the statue of Trajan hopes that it will help increase tourism in the area.