Burial chamber discovered in Turkey’s Kastamonu

KASTAMONU – Anadolu Agency

A burial chamber has been unearthed in the Kayı village of the Daday district in the northern Turkish province of Kastamonu. 

The burial chamber is believed to have been built for a noble person named Paphlagonia who lived in the region up to 2,000 years ago.  

The chamber, which has been damaged because of illegal excavations, has a diameter of 22 meters and is five meters in height. The restored chamber has similarities with mausoleums built by the Romans, according to officials. 

Şahin Yıldırım, an academic at Bartın University’s archaeology department, said they initiated work in the region last year after being notified of an illegal excavation. 

He said the excavations had been carried out by the Kastamonu Museum Directorate. 

“The name of the region was Paphlagonia in ancient times. We have found a nice burial chamber from this period for the first time. It is very important for us because we have limited information on the archaeology in the region. We were surprised by this 2,200-year-old chamber.”

Yıldırım said the burial chamber could also be called a tumulus and it was used mostly by Romans in Italy. 
He said the chamber was built in 2nd century B.C. 

“We believe it is the chamber of a noble person. We will work to bring out the history of this place and make it a touristic spot. The field work has been completed and restorations will start. Environmental arrangements will be made and informative signs will be placed,” Yıldırım added.