2,400-year-old wrestler tomb discovered in the ancient city of Aspendos
During excavations, researchers discovered a chest-type tomb constructed from stone slabs in the city's previously unknown Eastern Necropolis.
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A team of archaeologists in Turkiye recently uncovered a nearly 2,400-year-old tomb near the ancient city of Aspendos that may have belonged to a wrestler.
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During excavations, researchers discovered a chest-type tomb constructed from stone slabs in the city's previously unknown Eastern Necropolis.
The city was unearthed along a street that runs up the slope from Aspendos’ eastern walls toward an ancient theater.
A team of archaeologists in Turkey uncovered a nearly 2,400-year-old tomb. (Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism / FOX Weather)
The tomb contained the remains of a single individual.
Turkiye's Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the discovery, saying artifacts found inside the tomb, including Aspendos coins depicting wrestlers, suggest the person buried there may have been an athlete, possibly a wrestler.
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"We unearthed a sarcophagus-type tomb dating from the last quarter of the 5th century BC to the 4th century BC," Ersoy said in a social media post, translated to English. "Aspendos coins with depictions of wrestlers and other finds found in the tomb indicate that the person buried here may have been involved in sports, perhaps even a wrestler from Aspendos."
Researchers discovered a chest-type tomb constructed from stone slabs that may have belonged to a wrestler. (Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism / FOX Weather)
The discovery is considered significant because archaeological evidence from Aspendos’ Classical Period has been limited.
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Researchers say the newly uncovered tomb and artifacts could provide additional information about how people lived, burial customs and the social structure of the ancient city during the period.
The ancient city of Aspendos is located in Southern Turkey, in the ancient Pamphylia region by the Eurymedon river. The city sits on a flat-topped hill with many surviving monuments, including the Nymphaeum, Basilica, Market Building and Odeion.