15 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

30 Graves Found in the Basilica-Planned Ancient City

Kibyra ancient city is situated south of Turkey, located in the town Gölhisar in the southwestern part of Burdur Province, about 20 kilometers apart. 110 kilometers away from the provincial center.

Kibyra is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is an important ancient city in Turkey today. Archaeological excavations began in 2019, in the church structure planned for the basilic in this ancient city. Approximately 30 tombs were unearthed in the church.

Thirty tombs were unearthed in basilica-planned church the and many of them are believed to belong to important clergy of the city at the time.

One of the excavation team members, Düzgün Tarkan stated that works continue to determine to whom the graves belonged. “Our goal is to excavate this building in the next two years, to start the restoration, and to bring this important building to tourism.”

Kibyra, Thirty graves
Thirty tombs were unearthed in basilica-planned church the and many of them are believed to belong to important clergy of the city at the time.

Stating that the city had many important public buildings, Tarkan said, “It is one of the important ancient cities of Turkey with many important buildings from the 4th century B.C. to the 7 and 8th century A.D. Excavations show that the church building was used for meetings. Most of these graves were used by the Christian community living in Kibyra after the church was destroyed by an earthquake or other natural disasters.”

Emphasizing that the building is quite large and is a rectangular building divided into three halls with two rows of columns, Tarkan said, “The Kibyra basilica is a well-preserved building with very monumental dimensions. As of this year, we are planning to start excavations in the interior. We plan to complete the excavation work in the building in two excavation seasons. It is an important building in terms of documenting the religious transformation of the city.”

Kibyra, also known as Cibyra Magna, was the main city of the Cibyratis region. This confederation of towns and villages from the area of ​​Pisidia was established in the 2nd century BC. Its core was made up of four cities – Kibyra, Bubon, Balubura, and Oenoanda, known collectively as Tetrapolis.

Moagetes, son of Pancrates, was the last tyrant of Kibyra. Roman general Lucius Licinius Murena put an end to the federation in 83 BCE during the Second Mithridatic War. The territory of the federation was then divided, and the city of Kibyra was attached to Phrygia.

After the Roman conquest, Kibyra was still the important city in the region. Its importance was strengthened by its location at the crossroads of important communication routes, on the border of Caria, Lydia, Phrygia, and Pisidia.

Related Articles

The 7th-Century Lombard Kings’ Tombs Found in Pavia, Italy

24 December 2024

24 December 2024

The excavations, conducted between September and October by the Catholic University, uncovered numerous burials attributed, on the one hand, to...

Researchers find the earliest record of aurora in old Chinese documents

15 April 2022

15 April 2022

Researchers have found the oldest known reference to a candidate aurora in a celestial event, described in an ancient Chinese...

Israeli researchers uncover earliest evidence silver used as currency in Levant

9 January 2023

9 January 2023

On Sunday, Israeli archaeologists revealed that they had found the earliest proof of silver being used as money in the...

New insights into Scotland’s ‘bodies in the bog’

31 March 2022

31 March 2022

Fourteen bodies were found at Cramond near Edinburgh in 1975. New research suggests that two of the remains of these...

8,500-year-old buildings discovered on Abu Dhabi’s Ghagha island

17 February 2022

17 February 2022

Archaeologists in Abu Dhabi have discovered startling new evidence of the Emirates’ first known structures, which date back more than...

Earliest Modern Human Genome Identified

7 April 2021

7 April 2021

The fossilized skull of a woman in the Czech Republic provided the oldest modern human genome to date, which has...

A First in Türkiye: ‘Pilgrim Dimitrakis’ Inscribed Skull Found in Sinop

1 August 2024

1 August 2024

A male skull with the Greek inscription “Pilgrim Dimitrakis” was found during archaeological excavations at Balatlar Church in Sinop, on...

3D printing technology was used for the restored relic restoration of an ancient palace in Liangzhu Archaeological Site

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Six rebuilt massive wooden pillars of an old palace have been exposed to the public for the first time at...

Oldest Aboriginal pottery discovered in Far North Queensland

10 April 2024

10 April 2024

More than 2000 years ago, Aboriginal Australians were producing ceramics on a secluded island about 35 kilometers off the coast...

Montenegro’s Unique Church With Two Altars is Disappearing

11 December 2023

11 December 2023

In the Spich plain, where the modern town of Sutomore in Bar, Montenegro is located, there were churches that served...

Ancient DNA From Turkish Cave Reveals 5,000-Year-Old Charcoal Therapy and Hidden Antibiotic Resistance

13 September 2025

13 September 2025

Ancient DNA recovered from İnönü Cave in Türkiye’s Zonguldak province has uncovered evidence that prehistoric people used charcoal-based remedies to...

Scientists may have discovered pieces of the Asteroid that caused the extinction of the Dinosaurs

14 May 2022

14 May 2022

Scientists are piecing together remnants of the day the extinction of the dinosaurs began. A tiny fragment of the asteroid...

Spectacular 222-gram Gold Necklace Unearthed in Poland, Possibly of Goth Origin

10 August 2025

10 August 2025

A spectacular archaeological find has emerged from the forests near Kalisz, Poland — a massive bent gold necklace weighing an...

An extraordinary archaeological discovery in Spain: A new decorated stela has been found in context, in the 3000-year-old funerary complex

15 October 2023

15 October 2023 2

Archaeologists have discovered a new decorated stela in the 3000-year-old burial complex of Las Capellanías in Cañaveral de León (Huelva,...

3,000-Year-Old Eyeliner Innovative Formula Discovered in Iran: A Unique Iron Age Kohl Without Lead

17 July 2025

17 July 2025

Ancient black eyeliner found in Iron Age graves reveals a previously unknown cosmetic recipe using graphite and manganese oxide, predating...