Nearly two thousand years after it was carved, a Roman-era stele came to light not through a formal excavation but during wartime trench construction. The inscribed monument, originating from ancient Liti and dated to 121–122 CE, is now featured as Exhibit of the Month at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
The museum’s monthly spotlight program, running since 2017, highlights artifacts with distinctive histories and strong documentary value. This month’s selection connects an episode of Roman-era civic generosity with an unexpected rediscovery during World War I.
How a city recognized a crisis-era benefactor
The Greek inscription records a formal public tribute issued by the city of Liti (Greek:Λήτη) to a senior civic official and benefactor, Manius Salarius Sabinus, who served as gymnasiarch. The honor recognized his support during periods of grain shortage.
According to the text, Sabinus organized repeated grain sales at reduced prices and supplied additional essentials, including barley, legumes, and wine.
His assistance supported both local residents and Roman military units passing through the region. In addition, he financed repairs to the city gymnasium and funded food for council members and citizens attending public banquets.
Merchant networks and dual civic ties
Details preserved in the inscription link Sabinus to the Manioi Salarioi, an early Italian merchant family active in Thessaloniki.
Known in Latin sources as negotiatores, these traders had established a commercial presence in the city as early as the first century BC and played a significant role in regional trade networks.
Researchers conclude that Sabinus likely held civic status in both Liti and Thessaloniki, reflecting the overlap of urban, commercial, and political ties in Roman Macedonia.
Roman-era stele discovered in World War I trenches
The monument resurfaced in early 1916 during World War I operations in the Thessaloniki region, when Allied Entente forces, including British, French, Italian, and Russian troops, were deployed on the Macedonian Front.
Scottish soldiers from the 8th Royal Battalion uncovered the stele while digging defensive trenches. The construction works cut across what had once been part of the Roman and early Christian cemetery of the ancient city.
Photographs from the period document both the discovery and the subsequent study of the stone by Ernest Gardner, a naval officer and professor of archaeology. At the time, artifacts recovered by the British Salonika Force were temporarily stored at the White Tower of Thessaloniki, where the stele was examined.
From Roman highway to museum: the journey of a stele in Greece
Ancient Liti stood near a strategic section of the Via Egnatia and served as a military passageway for centuries. In a striking historical parallel, a monument honoring assistance to Roman troops resurfaced through the labor of foreign soldiers nearly two millennia later.
The stele previously appeared in a temporary exhibition on wartime archaeology in Thessaloniki covering the years 1912 to 1922.
Today, it is displayed in the museum’s permanent gallery dedicated to Macedonia from the seventh century BCE through late antiquity.
