Emily Chan
In Corinth, Greece, the site of a Roman prison has been identified by an archaeologist named Matthew Larsen.
It is one of a handful of prisons to be discovered from ancient Roman times. He determined that a prison once stood in the location due to inscriptions carved into the floor of the ruins.
According to Matthew Larsen, an archaeologist and associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, historical records indicate that almost every Roman town contained a prison. Yet, evidence of Roman prisons has been minimal and difficult to detect.
The prison dates back around 1,600 years ago, when the Roman Empire was in control of the area, and many individuals had converted to Christianity.
Larsen was able to identify the prison by studying records from an excavation of the site back in 1901 and examining the site and its graffiti for himself.
On the floor of the prison, there were inscriptions written in Greek, including pleas such as, “May the fortune of those who suffer in this lawless place prevail. Lord, do not show mercy on the one who threw us in here.”
The flooring was covered with cracks. It is unclear whether the prison used to be at another location and whether the flooring from it was reused for this site.
The graffiti was written within the boundaries of the cracks, suggesting that the flooring already contained cracks at the time it was installed.
In addition, the east chamber of the prison held the remains of jugs called “olpai,” lamps, and a small latrine in one of the chambers that may have been used by the prisoners or the guards. The jugs and lamps would have provided water and light for the prisoners.
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