Inscriptions of the Middle Axios Valley Reconsidered

Dr. Slavica Babamova Archaeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia – Skopje

The production of epigraphic monuments in the area of the Tikvesh plain is significant compared to other areas of the Axios Valley. The proximity of municipium Stobensium is usually perceived as the main reason for the social diversity of the inscriptions. Numerous finds of tombstones in the Axios valley shed new light on the territory under consideration, suggest the presence of necropolises and settlements, and tell about the history, prosperity and cultural and trade relations with Stobi and Thessalonica. Social strata of the population are studied on the basis of the applied formulas in the epitaphs and the typology of the tombstones. Special emphasis in the lecture is given to the so-called “Tikvesh group” of tombstones, which is unique in its iconography and offers new discoveries about the area in the 3rd century.