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OnDaFence 36M/44M
44267 posts
5/22/2016 8:16 pm

Last Read:
5/24/2016 3:22 pm

Kurgan tomb



The oldest Kurgan-style tomb ever unearthed in Turkey, discovered by experts from the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, contains a skeleton and is believed to be 5,000 years old. Kurgans are types of tumulus grave – they are a circular burial mound heaped over a burial chamber. Such graves first appeared in the steppes at the north to the Black Sea and can be found in countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria and Romania. Excavation work on the recently discovered tomb started in December 2015 in the Istanbul's Silivri district, according to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News.



The tomb was completely unearthed this May, and is the oldest of this kind uncovered in Turkey. It is also more complete than previous tombs that were found. Indeed, although it shows signs of having been looted in the past, the thieves did not reach the main burial chamber.

This makes it particularly valuable for archaeologists. "This discovery is interesting for many reasons. The tomb appears to be much older than the ones found previously. It seems to date back to the Early Bronze Age, around 3000 BC and not 1000 BC or later. Also, it is intact which is not the case with most of the other Kurgan tombs, which will make research inside it much more productive", Roger Matthews, Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Reading, told IBTimes UK.




Even more interesting perhaps was the discovery of a skeleton resting in the tomb, in a fetal position. There are two potential explanations which justify this posture: either it was done to stop the deceased from rising from the grave or it was intended to help him enter the afterlife as a newborn. The deceased was also buried with a spear and two pots which archaeologists have dated back to the Bronze Age. According to them, this shows he was probably an important warrior.

Hungr4Yungr 75M
5766 posts
5/22/2016 9:16 pm

People don't get buried like that anymore. They are just plopped in a box, it is nailed shut, and a backhoe is used to bury the box. It seems that a lot of tradition has been lost over the years.


OnDaFence 36M/44M

5/22/2016 10:01 pm

    Quoting Hungr4Yungr:
    People don't get buried like that anymore. They are just plopped in a box, it is nailed shut, and a backhoe is used to bury the box. It seems that a lot of tradition has been lost over the years.
JD keeps telling NO Pyramid!


OnDaFence 36M/44M

5/23/2016 7:56 am

    Quoting  :

I had trouble getting pictures on this one. The Turks don't cover items like this as well as Israeli media.


happy1959 64M
657 posts
5/23/2016 11:14 am

Bret: You never fail to amaze me.....


OnDaFence 36M/44M

5/23/2016 8:00 pm

    Quoting happy1959:
    Bret: You never fail to amaze me.....
**Takes deep bow*** That's my niche in here... diversified tid bits that the lamestream media overlooks


OnDaFence 36M/44M

5/24/2016 3:22 pm

    Quoting  :

Quite an effort went into the burial site and ritual.