3rd c. pithos burial found at Hadrianopolis

A pithos burial has been discovered in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, modern-day Eskipazar in northern Turkey’s Black Sea region. It is the first example of this type of burial found in region. A coin found inside the large storage jar was minted during the reign of Roman emperor Probus (r. 276-282 A.D.), which dates the burial to the 3rd century.

Used to store large volumes of foods (grain, olives, spices, nuts, fruits) both for transport on ships or in permanent arrays on land, pithoi were so big they could also comfortably accommodate bodies and grave goods in burials. In the Hadrianopolis pithos burial, archaeologists found skeletal human remains, the coin, seven smaller pottery vessels, an oil lamp, a knife and two bone hairpins. The hairpins suggest the deceased may have been a woman.

[Professor Ersin Celikbas, head of the Archaeology Department at Karabuk University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences], said the find marks the first time a pithos tomb has been documented in Hadrianopolis and its surroundings in relation to funerary culture, making it important for understanding burial traditions in the area.

Celikbas also noted that the pottery found in the tomb included examples of Pontic Sigillata, a type of fired clay vessel associated with the Black Sea region. He said this pottery type has been found in almost all excavation areas at Hadrianopolis.

Hadrianopolis was founded by the Hittites in around 1300 B.C., but it was renamed after the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century. It was located on an important trade route between the Black Sea coast, the Aegean coast and central Anatolia.

* This article was originally published here