In Kusadasi district archaeological excavations discovered the skeleton of a female which is believed to date back to the 13th century.
The female skeleton was found under water channel stones that were removed during the excavations in the monumental church in the ancient city of Kadıkalesi (Anaia), which was used as a settlement from the prehistoric period to the Ottoman Empire
It is believed that the skeleton which was found in a tomb in the church section belonged to the wife of a bureaucrat or someone who donated to the church.
The woman was aged between 34-38 years old and 1.63 metres tall.
Umut Tuncer, Provincial Culture and Tourism Director who made examinations in the area, said, “The things that turn a cultural structure into a tourist attraction are the findings there. Kadıkalesi is a very rich destination in this sense. It is full of findings that reveal new mysteries that excite us. During the studies carried out last month, a tomb dating back to 1,300 A.D. was discovered. The female skeleton, which we estimate to be approximately 1.63 meters tall, was found in the tomb.”
Art historian Umut Kardaşlar from the excavation team said, “We thought it might actually be a water channel. When we opened it, we realized that it was a burial of a woman. In fact, it is not very common to put a woman’s burial inside churches. Probably, this woman must have been a woman who donated a significant amount to the church, or she must have been the wife of a bureaucrat.”
