Discovering a 2,000-year-old treasure at the ancient fortress

Archaeologists have unearthed two ancient treasures, buried in a small town in Crimea (present-day Ukraine) buried by Roman invaders about 2,000 years ago.

In a research report published in Ancient Civilizations magazine from Scythia to Siberia, the authors said they found more than 200 coins, mostly in bronze, along with 'countless gold and silver jewelry. and copper as well as glass vessels' inside an ancient fortress in the Artezian neighborhood of Crimea (present-day Ukraine).

'This fort has been surrounded. Rich people in Artezian and the surrounding area tried to bury their possessions inside the city to avoid the Roman soldiers' eyes, Nikolaï Vinokurov, Moscow National Teachers Professor, explained.

The newly discovered treasures in Artezian are identified as buried by local residents
buried about 2,000 years ago when invaded by Roman forces. ( Photo: Live Science)

With an area of ​​1.3 hectares, Artezian is a residential area with a private cemetery of the Bosporus Kingdom. At that time, the fate of this kingdom was torn by the disagreement between the brothers: Mithridates VIII, who wanted independence from Rome and his brother - Cotys I, who supported keeping the kingdom as a state the empire of the empire is growing. Rome sent an army to support Cotys, taking him into the Bosporan capital and burning settlements controlled by Mithridates, including Artezian.

Everyone gathered in the fortress to protect each other from the attack of the Romans, but researcher Vinokurov said, they all anticipated the last tragic outcome."We think that these treasures are rituals for sacrificing funeral services. Obviously, they all know they will die soon after," said Live Science . The siege and collapse of the fortress took place in 45 AD.

Curiously, every buried treasure contains exactly 55 coins minted by Mithridates VIII.'This may be just a coincidence or perhaps the equal amounts paid by the supporters of Mithridates to the coffin owners' , citing research reports by archaeologists.

Among the excavated antiques there are many dishes
map with bold Greek. (Photo: Live Science)

Vinokurov's team has been studying Artezian since 1989 and found that people in this settlement follow a bold Greek culture despite the mixed ethnic composition.

The Greeks had created colonies in the Black Sea many centuries earlier, married to other Crimean people. The customs and art forms they introduced seem to have been rooted here for generations despite the geographical distance of nearly 1,000 kilometers with Greece.

Greek influence can be seen clearly in the treasures that the Artezians have buried. For example, a silver brooch engraved the image of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and gold rings with gemstones carved of two other Greek gods, Nemesis and Tyche.

When archaeologists unearthed other parts of the burned area, they discovered more evidence of the Greek lifestyle. All were destroyed by the Romans and later rebuilt by Cotys I after being erected by Rome as king. However, the treasure of the previous inhabitants has never been discovered as a testament to the desperate opposition to Rome's growing power.