29 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1,800-year-old Roman remains discovered in valley of eastern Turkey

Roman remains dating back 1800 years have been found in a valley in eastern Turkey.

Among the Roman ruins found in a valley near the village of Balkayası in the Ağın district of Elazığ, there are important finds such as rock tombs and underground tombs, and man-made underground passages for religious practices.

Some locals discovered the historical remains while they were strolling in the valley. Thinking that the remains may be of archaeological importance, they contacted Professor Ismail Aytaç, who is both an academician at Fırat University (FÜ) and head of the excavations at Harput Castle.

Aytaç, who conducted research in the region, determined that the valley contains 1,800-year-old remains from the Roman period. He also discovered different findings such as “catacombs” where Christians worshiped in secret and buried their loved ones and grain warehouses carved into the rock floor.

A general view from the valley where 1,800-year-old Roman remains were found, Elazığ, eastern Turkey. (Photo: AA)
A general view from the valley where 1,800-year-old Roman remains were found, Elazığ, eastern Turkey. (Photo: AA)

Professor Aytaç told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the region including the Euphrates River has hosted many civilizations throughout history since the Paleolithic Age, and archaeological studies carried out within the scope of the Keban Dam rescue excavations revealed traces of the settlement dating back to 6,000 B.C.

Pointing out that the archaeological remains discovered by the citizens near the Euphrates River basin, including rock tombs and catacombs, are of great importance in terms of the historical and cultural richness of the region, Aytaç noted that they will conduct large-scale archaeological research in the region.

Aytaç stated that the burial sections made for a small child or baby in the rock tombs, some of which were built for a family, are remarkable, and said: “The burial areas for adults and children were carved into the rocks. Although some of them were destroyed, there are also some intact ones among them. These two-story rock tombs have not been recorded previously. These structures were used for secret worship by Christians during the times when Christianity was forbidden. By increasing the surface research, we will ensure that they will be recorded. In the next stage, nature tourism and cultural tourism will be combined to create a wide destination.”

Related Articles

2,000-year-old Celtic hoard of gold ‘rainbow cups’ discovered in northeastern Germany

13 January 2022

13 January 2022

Archaeologists have found an ancient Celtic coins treasure consisting of 41 gold coins in a field in Brandenburg, a state...

Exciting discoveries at Accana Mound: 3,250-year-old seal belonging to Hittite prince and Akkadian cuneiform texts discovered

19 November 2021

19 November 2021

A 3250-year-old seal of the Hittite prince and a 3400-year-old cuneiform tablet was found in Accana Höyük (Mound) in the...

It may have been designed in Nevali Çori before Göbeklitepe was built

10 October 2021

10 October 2021

Göbeklitepe, Nevali Çori, Karahantepe, and Taştepeler, which will make us rethink what we know about human history, change the information...

Relief masks discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Kastabala

7 January 2022

7 January 2022

In the ancient city of Kastabala (Castabala), which dates back to 500 BC, located in Turkey’s southern province of Osmaniye,...

Exceptional Iron Age Artifacts Discovered at Celtic Necropolis in France

18 April 2025

18 April 2025

An archaeological excavation in Creuzier-le-Neuf, a small town located six miles north of Vichy, has unveiled a remarkable Celtic necropolis,...

The Sedgeford Anglo-Saxon malting complex may be the largest ever discovered in the UK

23 July 2023

23 July 2023

As archaeological excavations resume on a hill in Sedgeford, near Hunstanton, a seaside town in Norfolk, England, now more evidence...

Celtic gold rainbow cup coin discovered in Bavaria

12 September 2023

12 September 2023

An extremely rare “rainbow cup” Celtic coin dated to the second or first century B.C. has been discovered next to...

“Unprecedented” Phoenician necropolis found in southern Spain

28 April 2022

28 April 2022

A 4th or 5th-century B.C Phoenician necropolis has been found at Osuna in Southern Spain. A well-preserved underground limestone vault...

27,000-year-old Pendants made from giant sloths suggest earlier arrival of people in the Americas

16 July 2023

16 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered three pendants made from the bony material of an extinct giant sloth in a rock shelter in central...

Viking Family identified using New DNA Technology

9 June 2021

9 June 2021

Researchers were able to confirm the connection between two Viking remains discovered in Denmark and England thanks to new DNA...

Archaeologists unearth orchestra floor in Black Sea Region’s Ephesus

10 December 2021

10 December 2021

During continuing excavations in the northwestern province of Düzce, archaeologists discovered the orchestra floor of the theater area in the...

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...

Ming-era two shipwrecks found in South China Sea

23 May 2023

23 May 2023

In the South China Sea, two ancient shipwrecks that date back to the middle of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) were...

Archaeologists discovered on Tunisian coast three shipwrecks, one of which 2,000 years old

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A team of archaeologists from eight countries—Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia bordering the Mediterranean Sea has...

A statue of God Apollo was found during sewerage works in Afyon city in western Turkey

30 May 2021

30 May 2021

A statue thought to belong to God Apollo was found during sewerage works in Afyon city in western Turkey. During...