Archaeologists in western Turkey recently discovered a detailed account of 1,600-year-old tax fraud so brazen that ancient Rome made it a deadly offense. The artifacts found at the ruins of Stratonikeia in western Turkey relate to a financial case documented on similar stones studied by researchers since the 18th century. Around 465 CE, Roman officials began receiving complaints about tax officials operating in western Asia Minor who were reportedly issuing payment receipts without actually recording the specific totals. As Arkeonews recently noted, Rome sent at least 11 other imperial orders between the 4th and 6th centuries about properly issue tax receipts, but none mentioned capital punishment. Rome didn’t have a habit of distributing public stone inscriptions across the empire unless the message was received by locals.