Archaeologists may have discovered St. Nick's bones

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish archaeologists believe they may have discovered the remains of St. Nicholas — from whom the legend of Santa Claus emerged — beneath a church at his birthplace in southern Turkey, an official said Thursday.

St. Nicholas was born and served as a bishop of what is now the Turkish Mediterranean town of Demre, near Antalya, in the 4th century. He was buried in the area formerly known as Myra, but his bones were believed to have been stolen and taken to the southern Italian town of Bari.

Archaeologists, however, have recently discovered what they think is a temple below the church and now believe his remains may be lying there, Cemil Karabayram, the head of Antalya's Reliefs and Monuments authority, told The Associated Press by telephone.

Archaeologists are looking for a way into the temple without harming the 11th-century Church of St. Nicholas, Karabayram said.

Karabayram said the temple was discovered through geo-radar surveys of the church that were conducted as part of a restoration project.

"It is a temple that is intact, has not been touched but may have been affected by an earthquake," he said.

"This is an important find both culturally and for Turkey's tourism," Karabayram said.

St. Nicholas was known for his generosity. His legend spread around the world and became interwoven with mythical stories of the gift-giving Santa Claus.

Karabayram said that the bones that were smuggled to Bari may have been the remains of another priest.

Long Lost 'CITY OF GIANTS' Unearthed in Ethiopia

In a recent dig in Ethiopia, Archaeologists have supposedly unearthed a “long-lost city once inhabited by giants.”

This city, located in Harlaa, Ethiopia, was unearthed by a team led by Timothy Insoll from the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter.

Few people have conducted archaeological research in the region in the past, but most of their digs focused on finding ancient human remains. This time, scientists focused on finding ancient settlements that could possibly hint at the existence of giants in the city.

According to locals in the area, there were numerous stories and legends of giants inhabiting the region in the past. The possible supporting evidence of such stories belongs in some of the buildings in the region. The buildings are made of stones are that so massive in size that only giants or people with supernormal strength could possibly have lifted them. Locals also mentioned that they found old coins and pottery on a regular basis, all of which hinted at an ancient settlement that once existed in the area.

Although archaeologists have found no other evidence of giants in the region, they HAVE discovered that Ethiopia was much more connected with the rest of the world than previously thought. Evidence of islamic burials, headstones, and even a 12th century mosque were found in the area. Not only that, there were also coins, fragments of glass vessel, rock crystal, glass pottery and other artifacts from places like Madagascar, the Maldives, Yemen, China, and Egypt. This means that Harlaa was probably a rich trading hub that had close relations to many other countries between the 10th and 15th centuries.

Insoll said: "What we have found shows this area was the center of trade in that region. The city was a rich, cosmopolitan center for jeweler making and pieces were then taken to be sold around the region and beyond. Residents of Harlaa were a mixed community of foreigners and local people who traded with others in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and possibly as far away as the Arabian Gulf.”

Further investigation is still being conducted in the city to find out more about its people and origins. Around 300 people from the city’s cemetery are currently being analyzed to understand more about the people who lived in Harlaa earlier in history. Did giants really exist in the city? There hasn’t been any solid evidence found yet. But if you look at all the evidence of giants from around the world, there shouldn’t be much doubt that these huge creatures must’ve existed some time in ancient history.