Archaeologists at the Biblical site of Abel Beth Maacah in northern Israel have uncovered ancient Roman tablets that unveil information about previously unknown towns.
The study was published recently in the journal Palestine Exploration Quarterly, following the initial discovery made in 2022. The researchers translated the tablets and found that they constituted a Tetrarchic boundary stone, often utilized during Emperor Diocletian’s reign when he restructured governance among four co-emperors. The tablets mention previously unknown towns named Tirthas and Golgol.
The site where the stones were found is known as a tell, an artificial mound created by the accumulation of human settlements over the ages, with one layer piling on top of another. For a tell to exist, it must be a long-established settlement that has been inhabited for thousands of years.
“The peculiar find-spot of our inscription, on top of this high tell rather than in the fields below, is intriguing. This part of the site is characterized by steep slopes, some of which were terraced in antiquity and up until Ottoman times, apparently exploited for agricultural purposes,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
Ancient Roman tablets shed light on Tetrarchal re-organization
Archaeologists excavating the biblical site of Abel Beth Maacah in northern Israel have uncovered a rare Tetrarchic boundary stone, offering valuable insights into ancient land management under Roman rule.https://t.co/01HGmY1ONM pic.twitter.com/EI0hk9dcNT
— HeritageDaily (@HeritageDaily) January 23, 2025
Two senior co-emperors and two junior co-emperors ruled the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy. While that in and of itself was a major reorganization effort, there were also significant changes made in less significant parts of the power ladder. One of which is described in the tablets, which mentions a never-before-mentioned imperial surveyor, or “censitor.”
“Aelius Statutus is recorded on other boundary stones from the province of Syria-Phoenice,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
The tetrarchy boundary stones attest to the complicated intricacies of land ownership and imperial administrative policies during the empire’s time in the Levant.
“This discovery is a testament to the meticulous administrative re-organization of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy,” study author Uzi Leibner with the Hebrew University said in a press release. “Finding a boundary stone like this not only sheds light on ancient land ownership and taxation but also provides a tangible connection to the lives of individuals who navigated these complex systems nearly two millennia ago.”
The researchers were also keen to mention that even though this was a seemingly small discovery on the surface, it turned out to teach them and us about two previously unknown ancient towns and censitor.
“What makes this find particularly exciting is the mention of two previously unknown place names and a new imperial surveyor. It underscores how even seemingly small discoveries can dramatically enhance our understanding of the socio-economic and geographic history of the region,” said Avner Ecker, another author of the study with the Hebrew University.
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