18 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

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

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

Balatlar Church or Sinope Koimesis Church, whose identity and usage phases can be determined with the excavations that started in 2010, is the only structure in Sinop City history whose purpose of use is known. During the excavations conducted under the direction of Professor Gülgün Köroğlu, the most comprehensive studies of the Byzantine period were carried out in Sinop.

It has been determined through excavations that the building known as Balatlar Church was a Roman Empire bath constructed in the second century. As a consequence of the studies, it was established that the bath complex comprising the Palaestra, Frigidarium, Tepidarium, Caldarium, and Laconicum venues started to be used as a church in the late 4th or early 5th century. It is noteworthy that the structure was converted into a church in an early period.

The skull found in the ossuary section of the church has no other example in Turkey.

In the examination conducted under the chairmanship of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tolga Çırak, Head of the Anthropology Department of Hitit University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, it was determined that the skull belonged to an Orthodox cleric who went to Jerusalem to make a pilgrimage.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The inscribed skull has an important place for the world of science as one of the most interesting applications as well as being one of the latest examples of the skull cult dating back thousands of years in Anatolia. The inscribed skull reveals that the cultures in Anatolia did not disappear even after thousands of years and continued in different communities by changing their forms.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tolga Çırak said that there is no other example of an inscribed skull in Turkey.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tolga Çırak said, “The historical building is not known as a bath among the people, but rather as a church. The building community was used as a service area during the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. Balatlar Church turned into a cemetery area in the late Ottoman period from the 17th century to the 20th century. Especially in the garden and interior of the church, burials were made intensively. The church became the cemetery of the Orthodox.”

Photo: İHA

Çırak pointed out that no example of an inscribed skull was found in any excavation in Anatolia and said, “The tradition of writing on the skull was not found in Anatolia. No such example was found in any excavation. However, we knew that there were similar examples in Greece and Egypt, but it is an important finding for us because it is the first in Anatolia. The ritual of writing on the skull is one of the important Orthodox burial traditions. According to this tradition, the skull of the deceased is removed from the place where it was found, and then the name of the person is written on the skull with a hard object. Here you can see that the name is neatly written on the skull. After the writing process, the skull was placed on the shelf in the relevant section of the church to be exhibited. There are examples of this in Greece and Egypt.”

Çırak noted that rituals with skulls were seen until the Neolithic period and said, “The custom of keeping and honoring the skull separately from the rest of the skeleton seems to have persisted in various forms throughout prehistoric times, having probably started as early as the Early Paleolithic Period. Culturally, this has found a place in the Orthodox as a ritual. It was determined that the skull belonged to the 19th century. Some archaeological objects and coins found next to it say that this individual lived in the 19th century.”

Hitit University

Source: O. HETTO, G. KÖROĞLU, N. ÇORAĞAN, 2022 “Mosaic Panel on Refrigerium from Sinop Balatlar Church and its Place in Byzantine Iconography”, DOI:10.26650/artsanat.2022.17.946096

Related Articles

Archaeologists Unearthed Third Greatest Fire Temple Existing in Ancient Iran’s Sassanid Era

11 July 2022

11 July 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed ruins of what they believe to be the third-greatest fire temple in ancient Iran during the Sassanid...

12 tombs with Beautiful Decorations and Carved Bricks from the period of Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, found in China

22 May 2023

22 May 2023

China has a rich history. In addition to the fossil records from the Paleolithic Period, the country has witnessed the...

Ancient Bone Flute Discovered in Iran Offers Rare Glimpse into 8,000-Year-Old Musical Traditions

29 June 2025

29 June 2025

The National Museum of Iran has launched an exciting initiative in collaboration with the Public Relations Department of the Ministry...

‘4,200-year-old Zombie grave’ discovered in Germany

22 April 2024

22 April 2024

Archaeologists excavating in East Germany have found a 4,200-year-old grave near Oppin in Saxony-Anhalt containing the skeleton of a man...

Archaeologists discover a 4,000-year-old ancient city in the Iraqi Dhi Qar region

20 July 2021

20 July 2021

An astonishing find was made by archaeologists in Iraq‘s Dhi Qar province, where an ancient settlement estimated to be 4,000...

Archaeologists Unearth Unique and Exceptionally Preserved Roman Wooden Water Pipe in Belgium

8 May 2025

8 May 2025

Nestled in the Flanders region of Belgium, not far from the country’s capital, Brussels, the charming city of Leuven is...

Obsidian Research in Alberta Uncovers Evidence of Extensive Long-Distance Trade Among Indigenous Peoples Before European Contact

31 March 2025

31 March 2025

Recent research into obsidian artifacts in Alberta, a province located in western Canada, has unveiled significant evidence of long-distance trade...

The place where John the Baptist was martyred

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

The infamous birthday banquet of Herod Antipas, which culminated in the beheading of St John the Baptist — a preacher...

Archaeologists may have found Lyobaa, the Zapotec Land of the Dead

1 July 2023

1 July 2023

An archaeological team from the Lyobaa project has confirmed the existence of a vast Zapotec underground complex in their study...

Important archaeological find in the seas of Sicily: Archaic stone anchors found off Syracuse

24 November 2023

24 November 2023

During a joint operation by the Maritime Superintendency of the Sicilian Region and the Diving Unit of the Guardia di...

DNA Elucidates Mysteries of the Iron Age Log Coffin Culture in Thailand

9 February 2024

9 February 2024

The Northwestern Thailand highlands region of Pang Mapha is dotted with dozens of caves that contain some incredibly odd prehistoric...

7,700-year-old Pottery of a Human Head and Jewelry Workshop Unearthed in Kuwait

28 November 2024

28 November 2024

A team of Kuwaiti and Polish archaeologists have uncovered a jewelry workshop at the prehistoric Ubaid period (5500–4000 B.C.) site...

Beyond ‘Man the Hunter’: Stone Age Burials in Latvia Reveal Gender Equality

12 September 2025

12 September 2025

Zvejnieki cemetery in Latvia, one of Europe’s largest Stone Age burial grounds, has revealed remarkable insights into equality, ritual, and...

Face of the Picts? Rare Carved Stone Discovered at Scottish Hillfort

19 September 2025

19 September 2025

A remarkable discovery at a hillfort in Fife has brought archaeologists face-to-face with Scotland’s enigmatic Pictish past. A carved stone,...

Buried Treasure of Trajan’s Forum: Colossal Marble Head Discovered

23 June 2025

23 June 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery has emerged from the heart of imperial Rome. During recent excavations on Via Alessandrina—funded by Italy’s...