Archaeologists uncover monumental tomb at Olympos ancient city
Excavations at the ancient city of Olympos on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast have uncovered a monumental tomb containing a richly decorated sarcophagus believed to belong to an aristocratic woman from the Roman period.
The discovery was made in the harbor district of the ancient Lycian city as part of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s “Heritage for the Future” project, which supports ongoing archaeological excavations across the country. Olympos, one of the most prominent cities of the Lycian civilization, continues to yield artifacts shedding light on the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras.
Archaeologists working in an area known for its monumental tombs uncovered a vaulted burial structure rising nearly 10 meters high. Inside, they found a marble sarcophagus decorated with elaborate hunting scenes alongside figures of Nike, the goddess of victory, and Eros, motifs associated in Roman funerary art with immortality, prestige and elite social status.
Gökçen Kurtuluş Öztaşkın, head of the Olympos excavations and a faculty member at Pamukkale University, said the newly unearthed structure represents the third monumental tomb identified in the ancient city.
