Plaque reveals town’s ‘bribe’
Backing rival of Roman emperor proved costly
The perils of backing the wrong candidate for emperor in Ancient Rome have been laid bare by a newly deciphered stone inscription found in Bulgaria.
The 10-foot (three-metre) inscription reveals the cold realpolitik of the Roman Empire, with an emperor lying about his bloodline and demanding what was in effect a hefty bribe from one of his territories.
The second-century stone slab, now restored and translated, was found in the ancient town of Nicopolis ad Istrum, once part of the Roman province of Thrace and now in central Bulgaria.
It shows the town paid 700,000 silver coins as a way of ingratiating itself with Septimus Severus, who became emperor after a struggle between five rival claimants following the assassination of Emperor Commodus in AD 192.
Archeologists believe the town was forced to make the payment as it had thrown its support behind one of Septimus Severus’s rivals.
“Most probably the citizens of Nicopolis ad Istrum did not take the ‘ right’ side — the winner’s — and had to attest their loyalty to the ruling Severan dynasty,” said Kalin Chakarov, of the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, the archeologist who coordinated the project.
“That’s probably why they decided to write a letter to the emperor, begging him for mercy and sending the silver coins as a gift,” he said. The inscription is actually a stone copy of a letter the emperor wrote back to the people of Nicopolis ad Istrum to thank them for their generous “contribution” to Rome’s coffers. The town leaders felt the letter was so important letter they had it chiselled into rock and erected in the agora, or main square, of the settlement.
“We have accepted the cash contribution of 700,000 denarii as from men of goodwill. Good luck!” the emperor wrote. “You have a zeal which is very striking, as we see from your decree.”
However, in the letter, he falsely claims to be the son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. In truth, he was not related. Having been born at Leptis Magna in what is today Libya, he would have come from a different imperial lineage.
“Septimus Severus sought to legitimize himself,” said Nicolay Sharankov, a professor in classical philology at Sofia University, who translated the stone.
The two- ton limestone slab, inscribed in ancient Greek, was discovered in pieces during early 20th- century excavations. It was recently restored by archeologists from the Museum of History in Veliko Tarnovo.