Historians have successfully decrypted a 2,000-year-old inscription carved on a monument in honour of a Roman-era “jockey” Lukuyanus in the city of Beyşehir, Turkey.
The inscription was written in Greek and shows the rules of horse racing. He says that if a horse crosses the finish line first, he cannot take part in any further heats. In this way, other participants were given a chance to win. Scientists say it was an extremely “gentlemanly” principle that we will not notice today.
The monument is located at the entrance to the burial chamber, where it is believed that Lukuyanus may have been buried. His remains have not survived, but the inscription has survived. It says: “Lukuyanus The Warrior, Died Before Getting Married. He is Our Hero”. This could mean that he died at a young age.
