Archeologists discovered a marble slab with an inscription, dating back to the 3rd century A.D., while cleaning an ancient crypt at Kyz-Aul necropolis in the east of Crimea, Archeology Foundation said on August 15.
“To find something like this is a big luck for archeologists. Any written account from that time is valued much higher than any most valuable treasure,” the foundation said in a statement.
Experts have already made an initial translation of the inscription.
“It has been established absolutely certainly that this slab was made in the 3rd century A.D. and mentions a certain chief translator from the Alanic language, who lived during the times of King Sauromates II,” archeologists said.
The crypt, where the slab was found, had been plundered back during the Middle Ages by representatives of the so-called Saltovo-Mayatsk culture associated with inhabitants of the Khazar Khaganate.
Having captured Crimea in the 6th century A.D. they settled down in monumental stone crypts left behind by their predecessors.
For representatives of the Saltovo-Mayatsk culture, the ancient marble slab was of no aesthetic interest. “They used it as a material on which to paint images. On the reverse side of the slab is a poorly made depiction of a horse. Most likely, medieval inhabitants of the crypt-house wanted to paint on it something important but, having failed, started using the stone for household purposes,” the statement says.
Further digging at Kyz-Aul necropolis could help unearth missing parts of the slab and translate the entire text. The work will continue until September 1.
