Byzantine lady’s face revealed, given name of Maria

ISTANBUL

The 1,000-year-old skeleton was restructured and named Maria.

The face of a 1,000-year-old skeleton, which was unearthed during the Marmaray project excavations in Istanbul’s Yenikapı, was restructured by the Yıldız Technical University Istanbul Historic Peninsula Application and Research Center Biological Material Inspection Commission.

The skeleton was named Maria by the commission president Mehmet Görgülü because it was the most popular name in that era. 

This ancient lady is estimated to have been 30 years old when she died, had red hair and was a member of one of the noble Byzantium families. 

Görgülü, who is a general surgery and medical sciences specialist, said the skeletal pieces unearthed in the excavations were not only observed archaeologically, but they were analyzing deformations in the bones to understand diseases, genetic relativity and causes of people’s death. When all of these examinations are completed, he said, he plans on writing a book on all of the details of Yenikapı.