Turkish Archeologists Find a Historic Bronze Military Diploma That Dates Back to 1900 Years

During an official excavation, Turkish archaeologists have found a historic military diploma in Perre, Turkey. According to officials, the bronze military diploma dates back to some 1900 years. The archeologists had started excavation in the ancient Turkish city of Perre to see what the ancient had to reveal.

Turned out, the city had earthed ancient water ducts, archaic Roman fountains, and numerous giant blocks of stones. However, what remained prominent among the ancient findings was a military certificate that was earthed some 19 centuries ago.

Daily Sabah / The 1900 years old military diploma presents personal information of Calcilius Antiquus, who served the Roman empire for 20 years.

The archeologists then conducted a thorough analysis of the ancient military certificate. Inscribed on a bronze plate, the certification features the 20 years of military service of a soldier who served some 2,000 years ago. The historic document further reveals that the army officer had served the region for 20 years and had got married to a local of Southeastern Turkey.

The director of Adiyaman museum Mehmet Alkan, suggests that the bronze plate was found during the last days of excavation. “We got help from expert translator and history professor Mustafa Hamid in keenly analyzing the certificate,” he told the correspondents. He went on to say that the finding was “shocking” and “a historic revelation.”

Zocalo Public Square / The military certification dates back to the era of Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD).

According to Alkan, the diploma was written in Latin and was a homage to Calcilius Antiquus, who served the Roman empire for 20 years. Given his services to Hadrian, the then Roman emperor, Calcilius was offered marriage and Roman citizenship.

However, it is prudent to mention here that the historic military diploma also represents Latin as one of the highly spoken and was a language of diplomacy. “It was really difficult to make sense of the old Roman scribble,” asserts Alkan. However, they got help from language experts and translators in translating the Latin scribble into Turkish and English.

Furthermore, Alkan suggests that thousands of historic copies are yet to be unearthed. “This bronze military diploma leaves us with an exciting discovery, and we look forward to more historic revelations like this,” he concludes. With that said, archaeologists are likely to resume excavations this year.

Perre is a Historic City in Itself

Daily Sabah / The artistically carved historic tombs in Perre present an incredible scenery to behold.

During the Roman empire, the city of Perre was a center of religious affairs and diplomacy. Given the geopolitical importance of the city, Perre remained a center of focus for many Roman emperors – and Hadrian was no exception. Apart from that, the city has artistically designed and carved tombs that add to its glory even today.