Monumental Tomb Uncovered in Southern Turkey

ANTALYA, TURKEY—According to a Hürriyet Daily News report, a third monumental tomb dated to the Roman period has been found in the ancient Lycian city of Olympos, which is located on Turkey’s southern coastline. A marble sarcophagus decorated with images of hunting scenes featuring Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, was discovered inside the vaulted tomb, which stood about 30 feet tall. “Although parts of the sarcophagus survived in a damaged condition, we have already begun restoration work,” said Gökçen Kurtuluş Öztaşkın of Pamukkale University. The restoration process includes reconstructing the 50 pieces of the lower section of the sarcophagus. Öztaşkın and his colleagues have determined that the high-quality marble used to make the sarcophagus came from a quarry in western Turkey. For more on the archaeology of western Anatolia, go to "The Palace Times."