Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Olympos in Turkey’s Antalya Province have uncovered a monumental tomb containing an ornate sarcophagus believed to have belonged to a member of the city’s aristocratic elite.
The discovery was made in the Olympos harbour district, where excavations are being carried out as part of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Legacy for the Future Project.
The sarcophagus was found inside a vaulted burial chamber standing around 10 metres high. Although the monument was known to contain important burials, researchers identified the structure as a previously unknown third monumental tomb in the area.
As Associate Professor Gökçen Kurtuluş Öztaşkın, head of the Olympos excavations, said, only two monumental tombs were recorded at the site.
“We discovered a third monumental tomb and carried out detailed investigations in the area,” Öztaşkın said. “Inside the tomb we discovered a sarcophagus which survived in a fragmented condition and is now undergoing restoration.”
The sarcophagus has been shaped from high-quality marble from İscehisar in Afyonkarahisar Province and is decorated with hunting scenes as well as figures of Nike, goddess of victory, and Eros. Such imagery was prevalent in the Roman period with wealth, status and power.
Researchers suspect that the tomb belonged to one of the most aristocratic families of Olympos.
The lower part of the sarcophagus was found broken into roughly 50 fragments. Archaeologists are now reassembling the pieces before the monument is put on public display.
The restoration follows similar work carried out last year when two sarcophagi discovered at the site were reconstructed from a total of 722 fragments.
The tombs provide a glimpse into the lives of some of the city’s most prominent inhabitants, Öztaşkın said.
“Each tomb tells a story about Olympos,” she said. “Burial traditions offer information about how people lived and also connect people to the history of the site,” she said.
Olympos excavations have also unearthed remains from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, which has only been one of Lycia’s most important ancient cities.
Sources : AA
