An excavation at a Roman fortress in Georgia has revealed a gold offering to a god of war, a colorful mosaic and other artifacts.
Archaeologists uncovered a gold votive offering to a war god while excavating a 1,800-year-old Roman fortress in Georgia, known as the Gonio-Apsaros Fortress.
This thin plate, inscribed in Greek, was a dedication to the god of war and victory Jupiter Dolichenus, a deity especially revered by Roman soldiers.
The cult of Jupiter Dolichenus spread throughout the Roman Empire, reaching a peak of popularity between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, Science in Poland reported.
The team made other finds at the fort, including the remains of a mosaic in a house that was likely used by the commander of the Roman garrison.
The team also found the remains of a winepress and kilns that were used for firing amphorae, pottery vessels that were sometimes used to store wine. These finds suggest that wine was made there and was possibly exported to other sites.
