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1,800 Years Old 'Unique' Gold Offering to 'God of War' Discovered at Roman Fortress in Georgia

In ancient times, offerings were made to god in hopes that the deity would intervene in real-life situations and help their followers.

BY SOMDATTA MAITY

PUBLISHED NOV 7, 2024

View from the underground (Cover Image Source: Getty Images/Photo by rbkomar)

Researchers have unearthed a majestic offering to the 'God of War' in Georgia. Archaeologists excavated a 'unique' gold plate along with other findings in a 1,800-year-old Roman fortress, Live Science reported. The votive was dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus, a deity revered by soldiers, according to the team involved in the project.

"He was the god of war and victory," Natalia Lockley, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw, and the deputy head of the Polish side of the expedition stated.

Jupiter Dolichenus vowed by “Krispos and Sil[b]anos“, 2nd–3rd century AD, Turkey or northern Syria. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons/Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen) — Jupiter Dolichenus vowed by "Krispos and Sil[b]anos", 2nd–3rd century AD, Turkey or northern Syria. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons/Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen)

The deity's name was a combination of two gods, Lockley stated, Live Science reported. Jupiter was a Roman god who was "the god of the sky, storm, and lightning," she explained and Dolichenus was a divine being associated with thunder. Jupiter Dolichenus attracted a cult following in the ancient Roman empire "reaching a peak of popularity between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD," according to Lockley.

The thin plate had been inscribed in Greek, according to the statement released by the University of Warsaw. The finding further solidified the speculation by researchers that a sanctuary dedicated to Dolichenus existed in the vicinity of the fort. The researchers are yet to find this 'sanctuary'. Lockley assumes that soldiers wanted to give the artifact to the god by placing it on a wall or an altar at the 'sanctuary,' Live Science reported.

Gold offering found in the fort of Georgia (Image Source: University of Warsaw/Photo by Radoslaw Karasiewicz-Szczypiorski, Mateusz Osiadacz, and Natalia Lockley)

In ancient times, offerings were made to god in hopes that the deity would intervene in real-life situations and help their followers, Live Science. In the case of Jupiter Dolichenus, the soldiers could be hoping that the offering would give them the god's blessing in the ongoing war, and aid them in emerging victorious.

Researchers also found the remains of a mosaic in the fort, Live Science reported. Researchers believe that the imagery on the mosaic reflects a geometric motif, but "due to the extensive damage to the new mosaic, we are still analyzing and piecing together its pattern," Lockley said. Other discoveries include remains of a winepress and kilns.