14 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1800-year-old marble inscription found in Turkey’s Aigai excavations deciphered

The 1800-year-old inscription, consisting of 3 pieces of marble, found in the excavations in the ancient city of Aigai in western Turkey’s province of Manisa, was deciphered.

The translated marble inscription describes the Aigai people’s distress as a result of Roman tax officials’ practices.

Aigai was established on the Gün Mountain in the Yund Mountain Range, which was named Aspordene in ancient times. The ancient city, whose name comes from the Greek word “aíga” (goat), is often referred to as “the city of goats”, which is not surprising considering its high altitude and rocky lands.

The inscription was found during the excavations in the parliament building in the ancient city of Aigai in 2005.

Photo: DHA

In the inscription, it is stated that the people of Aigai sent an envoy named ‘Fortunatus’ to the Roman emperor, reporting their complaint about the different collection of taxes from goat skin by each collector and demanding that this situation be resolved. It turned out that the Roman Emperor, who took into account the complaints and demands of the Aigai people, fixed the taxes taken from goat skin at a rate of 1 in 6 and stated that he would punish the tax collectors who did not comply with this rule.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Heading the excavations in the ancient city of Aigai, Manisa Celal Bayar University Department of Archeology Associate Professor Yusuf Sezgin drew attention to the importance of the inscription in proving that the economy of the city was based on goats and goat skins.

Associate Professor Sezgin said, “The first excavations in Aigai started in 2004. In the parliament building where the excavations started, 3 marble pieces belonging to an inscription were found the following year. The inscription was partially studied and translated by Professor Hasan Malay. But we lose our teacher last year. It was deciphered by doing detailed researchs on it. This inscription is very valuable, especially its presence in the parliament already reveals its value. The inscription confirms that the basis of the city’s economy was based on goats and goat skins,” he said.

Associate Professor Yusuf Sezgin said, "The marble inscription confirms that the basis of the economy of the city was formed on goats and goat skins."
Associate Professor Yusuf Sezgin said, “The marble inscription confirms that the basis of the economy of the city was formed on goats and goat skins.”

Associate Professor Sezgin continued: “Aigai literally means goat. It is geography suitable for goat breeding in its geography. For the first time, we have come to a situation where we can saying this with an inscription. It is an inscription written 1800 years ago and it was placed in the parliament. It must be one of the most important issues of the city. Determining the taxes collected by the Roman emperors and fixing them. Thanks to the inscription, the city’s relationship with goat skin confirmed our theories that the city’s economy was based on goat skin. In this respect, it is an important inscription that we have newly presented to the world of science.”

Brief History of Aigai

Aigai, also known as Aigaiai or Nemrutkale, is thought to have been founded in the seventh century B.C. in the ancient region of Aeolis, which includes the land between the modern district of Ayvack in Çanakkale and downtown Izmir. It was a member of the Aeolian dodecapolis, a 12-city confederation.

Aigai ancient city
Aigai ancient city

The city reached its golden age during the reign of the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty that ruled the land from three to two B.C. 

On account of a severe earthquake in 17 B.C., which caused irreversible damage to the Aegean coast as well as Aigai, the city was rebuilt in subsequent decades. Aigai was deserted in the third century A.D. and remained unoccupied for about a millennium. The archaeological discoveries in the area date back to the Eastern Roman period and support the theory that the city was resettled by the Byzantines and used as a small settlement for a Christian congregation.

You can find details about the ancient city of Aigai here.

Related Articles

“Operation Heritage” uncovers an artifact smuggling ring in Turkey

1 June 2022

1 June 2022

Turkish security forces searched locations in 38 regions on Tuesday in one of the largest operations against artifact smugglers, with...

In the “Siberian Valley of the Kings”, archaeologists have discovered a burial mound containing ornate treasures dating back 2,500 years

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

A Polish-Russian team of archaeologists, excavating in the “Siberian Valley of the Kings” have announced the discovery of a burial...

Scientists have discovered an ancient cemetery of flying reptiles roaming the Atacama desert of Chile 100 million years ago

7 April 2022

7 April 2022

In Chile, an unusual cemetery has been discovered that contains the well-preserved remains of prehistoric flying reptiles that flew over...

Exploring the magnificent Ancient Rome in 3D

6 February 2022

6 February 2022

History in 3D‘s odyssey to create the most detailed and accurate virtual recreation of ancient Rome as it was in...

Nets Hidden in Pottery: 6,000-Year-Old Jomon Fishing Technology Reconstructed with X-ray CT Scans

28 September 2025

28 September 2025

In a remarkable study, Japanese archaeologists have digitally and physically resurrected fishing nets from the Jomon period, offering an unprecedented...

1,600-Year-Old Tomb of First Maya King Discovered in Caracol, Belize

11 July 2025

11 July 2025

Archaeologists have unearthed the 1,600-Year-Old Tomb of First Maya King at Caracol, Belize, marking one of the most significant Maya...

In French Necropolis 21 Roman “curse tablets” discovered including one written in the extinct Celtic language of Gaulish

18 January 2025

18 January 2025

During the excavation of an eighteenth-century hospital in north-western France by researchers from the Orléans Archaeological Service, a 2,000-year-old necropolis...

Love and hate in ancient times: Exploring Magical Texts

6 February 2024

6 February 2024

Love and hate are universal emotions that have persisted throughout human history. Ancient civilizations developed their own distinct methods of...

Altar site for Greek goddess Demeter unearthed in Turkey’s ancient city of Blaundus

21 December 2021

21 December 2021

An altar site for the Greek goddess Demeter was unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Blaundus,...

The mythical hero of Troy and Rome Aeneas’s peerless mosaic discovered in Türkiye

11 May 2023

11 May 2023

A large mosaic depicting the legendary Trojan hero Aeneas, the protagonist of Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid” and the ancestor...

Archaeologists Uncover lost Indigenous Settlement of Sarabay, Florida

9 June 2021

9 June 2021

The University of North Florida archaeological team is now quite sure that they have uncovered Sarabay, a lost Indigenous northeast...

Unique finds unearthed in the ancient city of Olba in southern Türkiye

16 August 2023

16 August 2023

In the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Olba, located in the Silifke district of Mersin, in the...

Africa May not be Where the First Pre-Human First Appeared

22 March 2021

22 March 2021

According to one opinion: About 2 million years ago, our first ancestors moved north from their hometown and left Africa....

Denmark King’s spice cabinet discovered on Gribshunden

13 February 2023

13 February 2023

The Gribshunden, a 15th-century Danish royal warship, was uncovered to have been loaded with botanical materials, including the first archaeological...

Archaeology team discovers a 7,000-year-old and 13-hectare settlement in Serbia

30 April 2024

30 April 2024

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown Late Neolithic settlement near the Tamiš River in Northeast Serbia. The discovery was made...