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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Harekattepe Tümülüsü |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Tumulus |
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Altitude:
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30 m |
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Region:
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Marmara |
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Province:
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Tekirdag |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Gazioglu |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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| Location: It is in the village of Gazioglu; Merkez district of the province of Tekirdag. |
| Geography and Environment: The settlement of Menekse Çatagi is located to the west of the tumulus and to the south is the Istanbul-Tekirdag motorway. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: A rescue excavation was conducted in 1997-98 by M.A. Isin and A. Ozdogan due to enlargement activities for the Istanbul-Tekirdag motorway. Three objectives were described during the excavations: to define the original height of the tumulus by obtaining a cross-section of the deposit of the tumulus, to determine how the tumulus deposit was raised, and to find out which direction leads to the grave chamber. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: Initially opened for 20 m, the trench yielded traces of fire in the southwestern corner, and it was first thought to be a cremation pit based on its size. As the bottom was reached through new trenches, it was believed that the grave structure was not a grave chamber or a tomb with a dromos, however a little further down, a lidstone and two marble alabastrons used for religious or funeral ceremonies were found. A sarcophagus was found when the lidstone was removed. How the tumulus was raised can be obviously observed in the northern section of the trench. The deposit of the tumulus was composed of field earth in dark brown, underlied by a mixture of yellow sand and clay as well as sandstone which can be commonly found in the region. The traces of deposits in brown to the southwest draw a curve towards the center. Some parallel lines are observed indicating that the tumulus was filled in stages towards northeast. The most remarkable one is a coating consisting of 10-15 cm thick yellow clay soil lining over the core deposit of the tumulus. Among the deposits lie series of dressed sandstones in single or double rows with a particular composition following each other towards the summit. The trenches and the slab stone in the tomb chamber were preserved [Işın-Özdoğan (A) 2000:335-348]. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: The area thought as a cremation pit yielded sherds of a few Classical Period pottery while the tumulus deposit revealed some Classical Period sherds and bottom of an amphora. Stone: Two broken marble alabastrons were uncovered. Jewellery: There was a golden diadem with acorns and oak leaves on the head of the skeleton [Isin-Özdogan 2000: pics. 7, 8], and a second golden diadem in his left hand [Isin-Özdogan 2000: pic. 9]. In his right hand there was a gold ring decorated with figures of Demeter and Eros across her by scraping [Isin-Özdogan 2000: pic.12]. The clothes of the king were ornamented with gilded bone beads. Coin: A bronze coin, probably from the Classical Period, was found in the deposit of the tumulus [Isin-Özdogan 2000: pic. 13]. And, a silver coin dating back to the Period of Philip II was found below the chin of the skeleton, which helped in dating the grave. The head of Apollo was on the obverse while the reverse showed an equestrian, with an inscription of "Philip II". Grave: It is a coffin made of monolith limestone. The interior surface was painted with a ferric oxide red. It was covered with timbers to make a wooden sarcophagus. The timbers were dressed with inlaid leaf motifs made of boxwood. The interior was also lined with timbers having inlaid branch and leaf decorations, and then topped by a wooden lid, which in turn was covered with a lid of monolith limestone. The interior of the grave was arranged as a bed with a somewhat a sealing clay, and the burial was placed on his back, the head facing east. Human Remains: The skull was almost intact, and some part of his hair was well-preserved. Other: Traces of abundant charcoal were observed in the pit. Random remains of textile and skin were found on bones and timbers. The King was buried wearing two clothes in purple, one on top of the other. One of them is reported to have been a priest's cloth. He had leather footbed sandals coated with very thin gold leafs. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: It is concluded that the original height of the tumulus must have been around 20 to 21 m. The textile and other findings suggest that the burial should have belonged to an important ruler of the region. Purple colored cloths were worn by kings or princes as observed in later periods. Thus, based on these finds, and the size and location of the tumulus, it should have belonged to the ruler of Heraion, which was 1 km far during the reign of Philip II. The ivy diadem indicates that he was a priest or disciple of Dionysus. The Odrys King of Heraion was Cersobleptes (360-341 BC) at the time of Philip II, who took Heraion from Cersobleptes. It is highly psossible that the burial may have belonged to the Thracian King Cersobleptes. The skeleton was analysed by antropologists M. Özbek and Y.S. Erdal, and it was found that the King may have died when he was around 40-45 years old. It appears that he died of inflammation as a result of a fracture he had on his left arm 10 years before his death. As it was an important fracture, the unset fracture had left the broken limb 10 cm shorter. |
