2,400-year-old pithos burial unearthed in Turkey’s Antandros

A 2,400-year-old pithos burial was found in the ancient city of Antandros, which is thought to have been established in the 10th century B.C. in the Edremit district of western Balıkesir province.

Carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the excavations continue in the ancient city, located at the foothills of Mount Ida range near the resort town of Altınoluk. A pithos burial and a 2,200-year-old grave were unearthed during the latest works. A pithos is a very large earthenware jar that was used in ancient times to store large quantities of food or liquids and that was sometimes even used for the burial of the dead.

Professor Gürcan Polat, head of the excavation team, said on Saturday that extensive digging operations were carried out at two locations, one of which was a Roman villa. Noting that the pithos burial that they unveiled in this area is estimated to belong to the 4th century B.C., Polat continued: “Our digging in the burial still continues, and we have started to unearth skull finds. We haven’t found any grave goods yet.”

The excavation team is trying to unearth the 2,200-year-old grave in the necropolis area. A variety of different burial customs such as pithos, sarcophagi or direct burial are revealed in the ancient city with the latest discoveries, according to Polat.

Antandros was an ancient Greek city that has been rediscovered in modern times. The first clue to its discovery was found by German geographer Heinrich Kiepert in 1842. Recent excavations have unearthed many ancient historical heritages at the site. New findings include eight ancient stores and a 2,500-year-old sarcophagus containing several ancient artifacts.