"One thing is certain," says Tekel "These people were bur¬ied in a great hurry "
The graves were discovered a few months ago by chance when a bus full of tourists dam¬aged the road leading to the monastery. While all those excavated at present are located m an area covering approximately 50 square metres, experts say there are more to be found in the same location.
The tombs go back to the fifth century BC and objects discovered in and around them belong to the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. According to Tekel, the graves were intact at the time of discovery and contained ear¬rings, rings and other jewellery. They are decorated with differ¬ent patterns and stones.
The archaeologist said the most interesting discovery in the area was a mouth-piece placed in the mouth of one of the skeletons.
“This is a very rare piece,” he explained. “It was supposed to prevent bad spirits from entering the dead through the mouth, ears or nose. That is why it was placed there.”
“We are very excited about these excavations. We have found many antique objects in a very short period. They will shed light on history. These burials are very rich in terms of findings,” Tekel added.
Experts hope that the excavations around the area will enable them to solve the mystery of the Salamis ruins. These are the first such works done in that region. |
