30 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1700-Year-Old ‘Cursed’ Sarcophagus on Display in Amasya Museum

Expressions made of Greek letters were encountered in the Roman sarcophagus found in the rescue excavation carried out by the Amasya Museum officials in 1994 in the Aktarla village of Merzifon district.

In the sarcophagus made of limestone in researches “May those who approach (this sacred place of final rest) with malicious intent, try to take over this grave or commit other evils, walk on this Earth as accursed beings – unable to traverse land or penetrate seas. Let them not see any benefit from their children, and especially not from their spouses, let their livelihoods reduce (to dust and splinters)” It was determined that he wrote.

The director of the Amasya Museum Celal Özdemir told Demirören News Agency (DHA) that the owner probably built the sarcophagus and inscribed a curse on it to prevent the ancient tomb from being robbed.

Özdemir said that the owner of the tomb most likely ordered its creation before he died and then had this curse written on it in hopes that it would deter grave robbers and treasure hunters from stealing the contents and destroying the sarcophagus.

Amasya museum
This is the ancient curse written on a 1,700-year-old sarcophagus that has been on display at the Amasya Museum in Turkey’s Black Sea region for over two decades. Photo: DHA

“All these warnings were to prevent the grave from being robbed, stealing the gifts of the dead, and from damaging the grave,” he said, adding that despite the curses and warnings, all the jewelry and valuable items buried with the family has been stolen.

Özdemir said there was a relief of the profiles of the grave owner and his wife outside the grave and four skeletons, two of the parents and two of the children, were found inside.

The mysterious sarcophagus is among the most precious works of the Amasya Museum where it is exhibited.

Cover Photo: DHA

Related Articles

According to researchers, the bones discovered underneath St. Peter’s Basilica may not be his

5 June 2021

5 June 2021

Three Italian researchers have voiced doubts about whether St. Peter’s bones are buried underneath the Rome basilica that bears his...

2,700-year-old Children’s Cemetery unearthed in Turkey’s Tenedos

2 March 2024

2 March 2024

A 2700-year-old children’s cemetery was discovered during ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Tenedos in Bozcaada,  southeast of the...

7,000-Year-Old Animal-Figured Seals Found in Arslantepe, Anatolia’s First City-State

27 August 2024

27 August 2024

Archaeologists working at the Arslantepe Mound (Turkish: Arslantepe Höyük), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province and...

A Child’s Skeleton was Unearthed During the Tozkoparan Mound Excavations

12 August 2021

12 August 2021

The skeleton of a child was unearthed during the rescue excavations carried out in the Tozkoparan mound located in Tozkoparan...

2,000-Year-Old Iron Age and Roman Treasures Found in Wales Could Point to an Unknown Roman Settlement

12 May 2023

12 May 2023

A metal detectorist found a pile of exceptionally preserved Roman and Iron Age objects buried 2,000 years ago in a...

Who Are The Sea Peoples?

13 February 2021

13 February 2021

Who are the Sea Peoples, which are seen as the beginning of the dark age, and where did they come...

Zeugma of the Black Sea to be will Restore

8 February 2021

8 February 2021

Hadrianaupolis Antique City is located 3 km west of Eskiyapar district of Karabük. This ancient city has been known as...

134 ancient settlements discovered north of Hadrian’s Wall

26 May 2022

26 May 2022

134 ancient settlements have been found during a survey of the region north of Hadrian’s Wall in the United Kingdom....

A hungry Badger uncovers the largest collection of such coins ever discovered in northern Spain

11 January 2022

11 January 2022

Archaeologists have uncovered a rich trove of 209 Roman-era coins in northwestern Spain, due to the apparent efforts of a...

Tens of Thousands of Ancient Bronze Coins Dating from the 4th Century Discovered Off Sardinia

4 November 2023

4 November 2023 1

A diver spotted something metallic at the bottom of the sea off the town of Arzachena in the Sassari province...

A Special structure Contemporary to Göbeklitepe found at Gre Fılla Höyük in Eastern Turkey

4 August 2022

4 August 2022

Pit-bottomed structures dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period were found at Gre Fılla Höyük (Gre Fılla Mound) in the province...

A Pagan cemetery belongs to the Late Roman Empire period in Istanbul

12 June 2022

12 June 2022

During the restoration of the ancient Sheikh Suleiman Mosque, which was restored as part of the Med-Art Education Project by...

60-million-year-old Snail Fossil Found in southern Turkey

22 May 2021

22 May 2021

A snail fossil dating to the age of 60 million was found in Mersin’s Toroslar district. The snail fossil discovered...

The Surprising Fact About The Roman-Era Female Bust

24 March 2021

24 March 2021

50 years ago, foundation excavation work was started for the construction of Girls’ Institute in Akpınar Neighborhood of Bolu city...

Life in Trabzon Started in This Cave 13,000 Years Ago

12 March 2021

12 March 2021

Karadeniz Technical University Archeology Department academicians found that life in Trabzon started 13,000 years ago in the Koskarlı Cave. Koskarlı...