Archaeologists in the Iraqi region of Duhok have unearthed a stone artifact dating back to 165 BC which has an inscription in Greek.
According to the inscription, which has been translated into Kurdish by scholars, the over 2,000-year-old stone dates back to the Hellenistic period.
The ancient text refers to Demetrius, the ruler of the region in the second century.
Before his death in 323 BC, Alexander the Great’s conquests reached as far as India, expanding his empire, and therefore Hellenism, throughout the East, including what is now Kurdistan.
Many sculptures, tablets, and other material remains resembling ancient Greek objects have been found across the Middle East as well as West, Central, and South Asia.
This discovery will open up the region to further archaeological study, as other important finds are certainly waiting to be discovered in that area.
Local press is reporting that the find will be published in academic journals so that the information will be available for study by other scholars around the world.
Although found in March of this year, researchers only verified the age of the stone recently.
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