Three years ago, archaeologists began excavating Tios, an ancient city in northern Türkiye. There, the crew unearthed a vast necropolis containing nearly 100 sarcophagi, 23 burial chambers, and more than 1,000 other artifacts.
Tios, the only known ancient city in the region that hasn’t been disturbed by modern development, is a hotbed for archaeological research. Now, this 2,500-year-old “city of the dead” is revealing even more about ancient life — and death — along the Black Sea.
Archaeologists Unearth An Ancient Necropolis At Tios
In 2021, archaeologists began excavating a necropolis at the ancient city of Tios near modern-day Zonguldak, located in northern Türkiye on the Black Sea.
“Tios is the only ancient city in the Black Sea region with no modern settlement on top of it,” said Professor Sahin Yildirim, the excavation leader, as reported by Türkiye Today. This makes it a precious resource for researchers.
Ali Turner/Wikimedia CommonsTios is located just outside the modern city of Zonguldak on the Black Sea.
Within the necropolis at Tios, archaeologists have discovered 96 sarcophagi, 23 chamber graves, seven cist graves, 60 frame tile graves, and 1,317 funerary artifacts so far. Analysis has revealed that the site was in use for roughly 1,000 years from the 5th century B.C.E. until the 5th century C.E. However, most of the burials date to between the 1st and 3rd centuries C.E., when Tios was under the control of the Roman Empire.
Perhaps the most fascinating part of this discovery is the way the tombs are arranged. Yildirim noted that the site is “organized like a city, with streets and alleys,” and the graves act as the “houses” on either side. One of these “streets” is more than 1,600 feet long.
The 23 chamber tombs were placed on slopes and ridges, and they likely belonged to wealthy citizens. Archaeologists have also unearthed what they believe to be the graves of Roman soldiers.
Now, researchers are analyzing the artifacts and skeletal remains found in the tombs to learn more about Türkiye’s ancient past.
What Does The ‘City Of The Dead’ Reveal About Ancient Tios?
The city of Tios seemingly had no defensive walls or other fortifications, so the necropolis has attracted opportunistic looters throughout history. Many of the tombs were stripped of their grave goods long ago, particularly the more valuable artifacts.
“We have seen that the necropolises were also looted,” Yildirim told the Anadolu Agency, as reported by the Daily Sabah. “During the Gothic invasions, a significant portion of the graves were opened, some valuable items were taken, and after the Goths left, the Romans rearranged the graves of their dead and continued the necropolis anew. This was an important data point for us.”
Public DomainInvading Goths looted many of the grave goods from the tombs at Tios.
So far, analysis of skeletal remains found within the necropolis has shown that some of the deceased were related to each other. Inscriptions within the tombs support these findings, suggesting the larger crypts were used as family mausoleums.
The research team even discovered that in the 6th century C.E., the Byzantines reused these tombs to bury their own dead.
“So far, no such necropolis area has been encountered in any ancient city in the Black Sea region,” Yildirim said. “This area holds a very important place for Türkiye and Black Sea archaeology. This necropolis area has been preserved as it is, maintaining its structure significantly and bringing it to the present day.”
Researchers hope that this incredible level of preservation continues to reveal new information about the culture of ancient Türkiye.