It has been four years that pladis has been supporting the excavations in the ancient city of Aphrodisias, a UNESCO World Heritage Center, which is expected to be a major contribution to the brand value of our country. Yıldız Holding Board Member and pladis Chairman Murat Ülker recently visited Aphrodisias with the pladis team and he was informed about the recent finds including the famous “Edict of Maximum Prices” which is the most comprehensive one of its kind ever found. During the visit, Geyre Foundation presented a plaque to Murat Ülker memorializing the support of pladis.  

It has been four years that pladis, Yıldız Holding’s global snack foods company, has been supporting the Geyre Foundation, which was established to provide funding for excavations conducted in the ancient city of Aphrodisias. Located in Karacasu district of Aydın, Aphrodisias is of major importance in terms of both reaching brand new archaeological finds that will shed valuable light on the era of Roman Empire in Anatolia and contributing to Turkey’s tourism and culture. In Antiquity, Aphrodisias was renowned for its high quality marble quarries and expert sculptors among the Mediterranean civilizations. After being rediscovered and brought to public attention in 1958 by the esteemed photographer Ara Güler, major excavations in Aphrodisias have been carried out since 1961. 

The most comprehensive “Edict of Maximum Prices” ever found

In the excavation site sponsored by pladis, a “civil basilica” was unearthed. Having been built in the first century AD, this building used to function as both a courthouse and a trade center in the Roman period. Among the parts of the civil basilica that have been unearthed until today, a “list of maximum prices”, which was inscribed on the facade of the civil basilica, stands out. Having been inscribed on marble, this list was the famous “Edict of Maximum Prices” issued by the emperor Diocletian in 301 AD as an attempt to curb rampant inflation. This list was inscribed in a number of cities of the empire and the one that was unearthed in Aphrodisias has been the most comprehensive version ever found. Fragments of this edict have been unearthed at 40 different locations in the eastern Mediterranean basin; however, the edict found in Aphrodisias contains more than half of the full text. The edict includes the maximum prices for many products and services, from first-class African lions to attorney’s fees, from wheat to turnips, from the wages of bath attendants to the prices of slaves. 

The content of this edict, which is quite remarkable for many disciplines including history, art history, sociology, economics as well as archaeology, is planned to be published in a book in the upcoming period. 

Murat Ülker: “The edict unearthed in Aphrodisias is a unique piece”

Having been invited to the excavation site by Geyre Foundation, which was established to support excavation works in Aphrodisias, Yıldız Holding Board Member and pladis Chairman Murat Ülker visited the site with the pladis team. During his visit, Murat Ülker was informed about the new developments on the excavation site by the archaeologists and received the plaque presented by Geyre Foundation on behalf of pladis. He said, “The finds in the ancient city of Aphrodisias made a tremendous impact in the world of archaeology. In particular, the edict unearthed in the civil basilica excavations sponsored by pladis is a unique piece. The ‘Edict of Maximum Prices’, that contains approximately 1400 items which were inscribed on marble slabs placed on the facade of the civil basilica during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, is the most comprehensive version of this long official fixed price listing in the world. We have a great interest in the developments in the excavations and follow them very closely.  Four years ago, I visited Aphrodisias in the first year of our sponsorship.  Last year, Yıldız Holding Chairman Ali Ülker visited the excavation site. Seeing that there are new and important finds every time we visit the site makes us happy. We would like to thank the Geyre Foundation for honoring us with a plaque in this visit. We believe that our support to Aphrodisias excavations not only contributes to Turkey’s culture and arts, but also provides significant benefits to our country’s tourism industry. Thus, we consider this sponsorship as our responsibility towards our country.”