Rare 5,000-year-old kurgan-type tumulus from the Bronze Age unearthed in Istanbul

The Istanbul Archeology Museum announced on Monday that they have made the largest archeological discovery of the year by unearthing "A 5,000-year-old tumulus, the oldest ever found in the country" in the Istanbul district of Silivri. The discovery is expected to shed greater light on the history of Istanbul and the wider Thracian region.

According to reports, archeologists have found the 5,000-year-old kurgan-type tumulus, considered the first completely intact tumulus of its kind to be excavated, during a rescue dig which started in December 2015 at a summer residence complex in the Çanta region of Silivri.

A report submitted in April by the First Istanbul Board for the Protection of Cultural Artifacts stated that the tumulus likely belongs to a prominent Bronze Age soldier or warrior who came from the north, as he was buried with a spearhead.

Moreover, it was stated that treasure hunters had previously attempted to dig up the tumulus several times, but were unable to reach the main burial chamber.

Professor Mehmet Özdoğan from the Istanbul University Department of Archeology said that he has previously studied kurgan-type graves in the past, and such graves had been destroyed. However, he noted that this discovery is a prominent one, as it is the oldest of its kind found in Thrace and will shed light on a number of historical questions. [...] Daily Sabah


Actualización: Excavado túmulo kurgan en Turquía | Arqueología Paleorama en Red
Por primera vez en este país, se excava un túmulo de esta civilización de hace 5.000 años 

Los kurgan o kurganes, una civilización de las estepas rusas, se extendieron hacia el tercer milenio a.C. hacia Europa oriental y central. Aunque se conocían hallazgos de tumbas kurgan en Tracia, por primera vez se ha podido excavar un túmulo kurgan intacto en Turquía, en un distrito próximo a la ciudad de Estambul. Este túmulo data de la Edad del Bronce, y su cámara funeraria se ha localizado intacta. Se trata de una oportunidad única para estudiar este tipo de poblaciones en esta zona, fuera de su ambiente original...