An ancient necropolis that was in use for a thousand years is being unearthed in the ancient city of Tios in the Black Sea region of northern Turkey. The necropolis was discovered on the eastern side of the city in excavations that began three years ago. It is enormous, with 96 sarcophagi, 23 chamber graves, seven cist graves, 60 frame tile graves and 1317 funerary objects uncovered so far in the three years of digs.
Tios is the only ancient city in the Black Sea region that has survived without modern settlements being built over it. That makes it precious to archaeologists as it is possible to reveal the complete surviving archaeological record, which in the case of the necropolis extends from the end of the 5th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D.
Most of the tombs date to between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D. when Tios was part of the Roman empire. The necropolis was planned as a true city of the date, with avenues, terraces and the tombs as “homes.”
[Excavation leader Professor Şahin] Yıldırım mentioned that they have uncovered a street approximately 500 meters (1,640.42 feet) long, with sarcophagi on both its right and left sides, and that chamber tombs, believed to belong to people with higher income levels at that time, were found on the slopes and ridges. He noted that they encountered numerous findings, particularly in the sarcophagus areas dated to the second and third centuries A.D.
Yıldırım stated that they have cataloged over a thousand artifacts, which are housed at the Karadeniz Ereğli Museum Directorate.
He expressed that they have gained much important information about the Roman period, saying: “Findings, tombstones and inscriptions indicating that a significant portion of the inhabitants of this city in the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius gained the right to be Roman imperial citizens have been discovered. We came across graves thought to belong to Roman soldiers.”
Yıldırım emphasized the significance of the ancient city and explained that “So far, no such necropolis area has been encountered in any ancient city in the Black Sea region. This area holds a very important place for Türkiye and Black Sea archaeology. This necropolis area has been preserved as it is, maintaining its structure significantly and bringing it to the present day.”
Ancient Tios did not have a defensive wall or fortification system, which means it was subjected to repeated raids. The necropolis was targeted as well and may of its grave goods stolen. When the Goths invaded in the mid-3rd century, they helped themselves to the precious objects buried with the dead. Once the Goths left, the people of Tios regrouped, rearranging the disturbed sarcophagi and graves and simply picking up where they left off as if there had been no interruption.
Human skeletal remains found in some of the graves are currently being studied. Initial examinations have found that some of the deceased were related to each other and buried in family groups. Inscriptions in the chamber tombs confirm that they were used as family mausoleums.
The excavation and analysis of a Bronze Age hoard discovered in Rosemarkie, a coastal town near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, has revealed rare organic plant remains entwined among the bronze bracelets and necklaces. The hoard dates to around 1000 B.C.
The hoard was discovered during a preventative archaeology excavation that took place at the site of a future housing development between August 2020 and July 2021. The excavation revealed remains of a Bronze Age settlement with six roundhouses, a timber palisade fence, drying kilns, plough marks from agricultural work, a cist grave and, close to one of the postholes from a roundhouse, a small circular pit containing a hoard of bronze objects. They were likely originally enclosed in a woven basket or bag that was buried whole.
The container has decomposed and there are no visible remnants of it, but hoard was removed in a soil block to preserve any organic remains and trace material of the original context. The hoard is now being excavated in laboratory conditions and archaeologists have so far recovered one complete neck ring, one partial neck ring, six penannular bracelets and one cup-ended penannular bracelet.“The recovery of the artefacts was successfully carried out under the controlled conditions necessary to preserve these highly significant objects, particularly the very delicate organic cords that tether some of the objects together,” said Rachel Buckley, who led the laboratory excavation. “Where bracelets were held together with organic material, these were recovered as a group to allow further detailed study. While there are other examples of hoards where it has been postulated that items were bound together due to their positioning, the vegetation in the Rosemarkie hoard has survived for approximately 3000 years, proving that these artefacts were held together.” […]
“That the hoard was buried under a single homogenous fill within a shallow pit with little extra room for anything other than what was found within, indicates that this was no accidental loss,” said Iraia Arabaolaza, who is managing GUARD Archaeology’s analyses. “It would seem that the shallow pit was dug to the required length and depth to accommodate the items, before then being quickly backfilled. It may be that it was intended as temporary storage with the intention of recovering the hoard at some stage. The evidence from the surrounding settlement may reveal whether it was not just the hoard that was abandoned but the settlement as well.”
