In regards to the Human Remains Unearthed from Akyurt Kalaba Tumulus

Abstract

Akyurt Kalaba Tumulus, which is located in the Akyurt District of Ankara was excavated by the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in 2012. During the excavation, a burial chamber, which contained the dromos, the anterior chamber and the main chamber, was discovered close to the center of the Tumulus. In addition, cremains were found in ostotheks within the cremation areas, and in an inhumation burial near the southeast slope of the Tumulus. Coins found in the graves show that the tumulus was used between the middle of the first century and the beginning of the third century. In this study, the unearthed human remains are examined and evaluated with other archaeological findings in the context of mortuary practices. It was found that there were the inhumation remains of three adults and an infant, as well as the cremains of an adult, in the burial chamber. While the cremains of an adult woman and a 9-10 year old child were identified in the ostotheks, it is understood that the inhumation grave belonged to an adult. The examination of the remains of cremation (i.e. discolorations and changes in the shape of the bones) has indicated that the corpses of the dead were cremated while flesh remained on the bones, and the pyre fire in the cremation areas reached temperatures above 700-900°C. The presence of a well-preserved burial chamber with its architectural elements, cremation areas with ostotheks, and also the presence of different burial practices, make Akyurt Kalaba Tumulus unique among its similar sites. In the study, the Tumulus was evaluated holistically by using bioarcheological and archaeological data, along more conclusive results.

Keywords

• galatia
• roman period
• tumuli
• burial chamber
• inhumation
• cremated bones
• mortuary practices
• akyurt kalaba tumulus
• ankara