Museum and location search

Archaeology Museum of Catalonia - Empúries

Greek letter on lead

Greek commercial letter on a sheet of lead. Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, Empúries.

Greek commercial letter on a sheet of lead. Archaeology Museum of Catalonia, Empúries.

This is a Greek commercial letter with inscriptions on a lead sheet. It was found rolled up inside a room in the northern part of the Greek city during the 1985 excavations. It is rectangular in shape and its two sides are egregiously damaged, so we are unsure of the exact length of the lines. The central part, however, is perfectly legible. A reading of the text confirms that it is a private commercial letter in which an Ionian-speaking merchant – from Phocaea or one of its colonies – ordered the purchase and transport of certain goods.

scroll to top icon