Earthquake in the second half of the 3rd century CE and a new altar at the Artezian site (based on excavations in 2022)

The article explores a local residential area of the Artezian settlement on the terraces southwest of Tower 2 of the late citadel. The area below the retaining wall of the high terrace featured a building with a large mud‑stone oven, pithoi and utility pits dating back to the 3rd century CE. The floor was clay adobe and paved in some areas. The building was destroyed, like all the objects of the settlement, including the acropolis – the late citadel with eight tow‑ ers – by a powerful earthquake some time between 255–269/275. After the catastrophe, an altar appears directly on the layer of destruction in the founda‑ tion of the tower 2 buttress, shaped as an altar niche above a pit‑bothros with ritual offerings: raw pyramidal weights and seashells, sprinkled with ash and coals. Adjacent to the southern altar were dozens of small‑diameter but deep pits filled with ash, some of which contained deliberately placed objects with an unclear cult context. This altar could be dedicated to chthonic deities, possibly responsible for the underground elements. What appears particularly interesting, is the apparent connection between the seis‑ mic event of the second half of the 3rd century CE and the construction of an altar with a bothros, which could only be used for a short time: only at the time of construction work and immediately after its completion. Its sacred area was soon hidden by new buildings when the memories of the terrible seismic disaster were forgotten or faded into the background behind the usual bustle of life.