Clay Passports
Terracotta tokens in Athens’ Agora Museum bear Xenokles’ name, an Athenian border commander ( peripolarchos ), and a jagged split that once matched a twin half; scholars identify them as clay passports for fourth-century BCE couriers. Reuniting the shards let frontier garrisons verify that the messenger served under Xenokles, authenticating identity long before parchment or modern ID security. View the artifact on World History Encyclopedia or in high-resolution on ASCSA’s Agora Digital (Image 2000.02.1077). WHE photo → Agora Digital →