İznik's ancient tomb moved to museum

BURSA - Doğan News Agency

The ancient tomb, which has many relief figures including the ancient god of love Eros on four sides, was found in an olive grove in Bursa’s İznik district. AA Photo

A late-Roman era tomb, which was found last week in an olive grove in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İznik district, has been moved to the garden of a nearby museum and examined by archaeologists. 

Noting that İznik was the Bithynia region of the Roman Empire in the 1st century B.C., the archaeologists said the tomb showed the best workmanship of its era and the perfection of stonemasonry in the era. 

The relief figures on the tomb present the ancient god of love Eros on four sides, while the other figures include five lion heads, an omphalos (a religious stone artifact), eight torches, praying Eros figures and the god of victory Nike. 

The Hisardere village road, where the nearly seven-ton tomb was found, was a necropolis in the ancient era.
 
According to ancient beliefs, people buried in such tombs were buried with their favorite belongings as well an amount of money, a ring and a medallion. 

However, because the tomb in Bursa was likely plundered by treasure hunters years ago its original content is not known for sure.

Money was included in tombs to symbolize the price that the dead person would pay to the god of the underworld, Hades.