A sarcophagus was unearthed at St. Nicholas Church in the Demre district of Antalya, Türkiye.
Excavation Head Assoc. Prof. Dr Ebru Fatma Fındık, a faculty member of Hatay Mustafa Kemal University’s Department of Art History, provided information about the excavation work at the church and said, “Within the scope of Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Legacy to the Future project, we are working inside the 20-meter-long, two-story structure that borders the church courtyard from the south.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr Ebru Fatma Fındık continued, “While drilling inside the structure, we encountered a surprise sarcophagus. This work, among the undecorated sarcophagus group, is made of local stone and has a slightly high barrel roof. The lid, which forms a semicircular protrusion on the narrow side, has a handle. The underground part of the approximately 2-meter-long sarcophagus is estimated to be 1.5-2 meters high. According to initial evaluations, its similarity to the types of sarcophagi in the region is striking. In addition, many terracotta oil lamp fragments and animal bones were unearthed before reaching the sarcophagus during the drilling.”
First in situ sarcophagus at the site
Assoc. Prof. Dr Ebru Fatma Fındık added, “We believe that we have encountered a sarcophagus to be in situ for the first time. The fact that a sarcophagus has been unearthed very close to the church that is thought to contain the tomb of St. Nicholas excites us greatly. As part of the project, we will be happy to complete the excavation and restoration of the area where the sarcophagus is located and contribute to our country’s tourism.”
