Byzantine Sarcophagus Cover Unearthed in Turkey

A sarcophagus cover from 610 A.D. in Turkish province Gumushane was discovered by construction workers, according to The Anadolu Agency. It has the Greek words "Blessed Kandes Sleeps Here" carved into it. 

However, the sarcophagus itself is still missing. 

“The discovery of the full sarcophagus will give us a clue about who it was built for,” said museum director Gamze Demir. Şahin Yildirim of Bartin University added that further excavation could reveal a necropolis and perhaps even a church in the area. 

The village the cover was found in is under protection of the Culture and Tourism Ministry since 1998 so archaeologists cannot excavate without permission from museum officials. 

"If it [the area] was a necropolis, there must have been an important structure near it" Yıldırım said. 

This was an important military Byzantine camp, so it may have had buried some important figures here too. 

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SOURCES:

https://www.archaeology.org/news/6070-171103-turkey-byzantine-sarcophagus