Byzantine tombs unearthed in excavations at Church in Heraclea
Selçuk University Archaeology Department Professor Zeliha Gider Büyüközer, head of the Latmos and Herakleia Excavation, told an AA reporter that the ancient city of Herakleia was built on the southern slopes of the Latmos Mountains, which are like a sea of rocks with their extraordinary geological formations.
- Turkey
- Published Date: 12:02 | 12 July 2025
- Modified Date: 12:04 | 12 July 2025
Stating that work on the Roman baths, excavation of which began in 2024 as part of the Legacy for the Future Project, has been completed, Büyüközer noted that they have begun excavation work in the area opposite the Temple of Endymion, which is referred to as the "Doric structure" due to the use of marble architectural blocks belonging to the Doric order on its facade.
Explaining that they will work to determine the first construction phase, periods of use, and purposes of the multi-phase Doric structure, Büyüközer said, "During the excavation work, a large church was uncovered in the area. After the church was no longer in use, the area where the ruins of the structure were located and the north were used as a necropolis. At higher levels, we found graves belonging to children aged 0-14. When we went down to slightly lower levels, we uncovered adult graves."
Büyüközer stated that six of the ten children's graves belonged to children aged 0-1 who had not yet completed their bone development, while the age range varied in the other four graves.
Büyüközer reported that children's graves were also found in the ongoing excavations to the north, and said that they believed an epidemic disease affecting children in particular may have occurred in Herakleia.