Byzantine-era tablet found in road construction

KARAMAN – Doğan News Agency

DHA photo

A Byzantine-era stone tablet has been found during road construction in the Central Anatolian province of Karaman’s Ermenek district. 

Discovered in the field of farmer Ali Boztoprak, the tablet features a Greek message that says: “Hello, friend. May you receive twice that of which you wish for me,” as well as the words “proastion – topothesia.” The tablet was delivered to museum officials for examination. 

“The inscription is an address and starts with a familiar prayer that is also said today,” said Karamanoğlu Mehmet Bey University Classical Archaeology Department academic Mehmet Alkan. 

“Considering the other words, we can say that it is an inscription of property. The word ‘proastain’ is generally used for suburbs in ancient resources. From the late ancient age, this word began to be used for landholding rich people. The word ‘topothesia’ was used to define an imaginary place that does not exist. We also see this word in commercial documents unearthed in Egypt, meaning big land and region. So the inscription states that a rich person had property here,” he said.

“In this sense, the inscription may provide a contribution to scientific works on the late ancient age and the Byzantine-era economy. Also, it may provide information about the economy and social structure of Germanikopolis [Ermenek], one of the largest cities of the Isauria region,” he said.

Alkan also noted that a similar prayer had been found in the Central Anatolian province of Konya.