Roman Stele Unearthed in Manbij Reveals Syria’s Ancient Heritage!
Archaeologists in northern Syria have made an extraordinary find: a Roman-era stele carved from heavy black basalt, recently uncovered in the city of Manbij, east of Aleppo. The 2,000-year-old stone depicts an eagle with outstretched wings clutching a wreath in its talons, accompanied by a Greek inscription. Experts believe the piece may once have served as a funerary marker during the Roman period.
The discovery came to light when a local resident spotted the stele near the city’s Cardamom wholesale market and alerted the Directorate of Museums and Antiquities. A team was quickly dispatched to recover the artefact, which is now being safeguarded in Manbij before its expected transfer to Aleppo for detailed study.
Photo Credit: Manbij Region Facebook
The find underscores the deep historical roots of Manbij, known in antiquity as Hierapolis, or “Sacred City.” Originally an Aramaic and Assyrian settlement, it flourished under the Seleucid dynasty after Alexander the Great’s conquests and later gained fame for its grand temple dedicated to Atargatis, the Syrian fertility goddess. Pilgrims travelled from across the region to honour her, and the 2nd-century CE writer Lucian of Samosata described the city’s rituals in his work De Dea Syria. Even under Roman rule, Hierapolis remained an important spiritual and commercial centre.
Over time, however, the city’s brilliance faded. In recent decades, Syria’s ongoing conflict has placed its cultural heritage under severe threat. The Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums estimates that between 2011 and 2019 alone, around one million artefacts were looted, while more than 700 sites sustained critical damage.
Manbij itself became a hotspot for the illicit antiquities trade. Under the Assad regime, treasure hunting was tightly controlled by elites with powerful connections. When the Free Syrian Army took the city in 2012, looting escalated dramatically. Two years later, ISIS seized control and formalised the trade by introducing a licence system for excavations. Locals were permitted to dig, but rare or valuable discoveries were heavily taxed, while items featuring human or animal figures were confiscated or even destroyed.
Although the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) retook Manbij in 2016, the trafficking of cultural treasures did not stop. Local authorities and their networks reportedly organised digs, demanded significant cuts from finds, sometimes up to 60 per cent, and facilitated smuggling routes. The city became a key hub for the illegal movement of artefacts from Palmyra, Raqqa, and Hasakah to buyers abroad.
Against this backdrop, the recovery of the basalt stele represents a small but significant step towards safeguarding Syria’s heritage. The recently established Archaeological Office in Manbij has begun the painstaking work of protecting and restoring the city’s history, offering hope that more discoveries may yet be saved from the shadows of conflict and illicit trade.