Magnificent 1,800-Year-Old Rock Tombs Beautifully Decorated Discovered In The Ancient City Of Blaundus

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Built on a vast plain surrounded by deep valleys and canyons the ancient city of Blandus was once a was a Roman episcopal city in Asia Minor. Located in Anatolia the city of Blandus was established by Roman Commander Blaundus as Alexander the Great was off to a campaign in Anatolia. Following Alexander the Great, the city was ruled by Romans and Byzantines.

Magnificent 1,800-Year-Old Rock Tombs Beautifully Decorated Discovered In The Ancient City Of Blaundus

 Rock tombs in the ancient city of Blaundus, Uşak, western Turkey, Sept. 29, 2021. Credit: AA PH๏τo

It is at this historical place that archaeologists have unearthed as many as 400 rock-cut tombs that are about 1,800-year-old. The magnificent tombs featuring multiple rooms, have walls that are beautifully decorated with special motifs of vine branches, bunches of grapes and flowers.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), excavation head Can said that Blaundos was established on a safeguarded hill.

“There is only one entrance to the city from the north, and the city is surrounded by a valley reaching a depth of 70 meters (300 feet) in some points. We determined rock-cut tombs in our recent works conducted in the steep sides of the valley. From the analysis of materials and bones we found in this area, we understand that these rock tombs were intensely used after the A.D. second century. We can say that they were used as family graves.”

As Daily Sabah reports, “Can’s team believes that there are also a large number of graves underground in the ancient city. Noting that there are different types of rooms inside the rock tombs, Can continued: “There are arched sarcophagi carved into the bedrock in front of the walls of each room. Apart from these, places that are thought to be used for funeral ceremonies were also found inside the rock tombs. The main door of the tombs was closed with a marble door and reopened during burial or ceremony times in the past.”

Magnificent 1,800-Year-Old Rock Tombs Beautifully Decorated Discovered In The Ancient City Of Blaundus

Two archaeologists work on the wall motifs of a room inside a rock tomb in the ancient city of Blaundus, Uşak, western Turkey, Sept. 29, 2021. Credit: AA PH๏τo

Emphasizing that their priority is the preservation of the tombs, Can said that they also prepare projects for the promotion and opening of these structures. Stating that there will be a walking path starting from the city entrance and going around these tombs, Can said: “Within this project, plans have been made to illuminate the area of the tombs. We are planning to make the entire necropolis visitable in the future.

See also: More Archaeology News

Blaundus was built on the top of a hill overlooking Grand Ulubey Canyon, which has strategic importance for the Lydia-Phrygia border. Although the city was founded in the Hellenistic era, due to earthquakes that caused widespread damage, the city was rebuilt and fashioned into one of the more significant Roman-era urban centers in the region.

There are many public and religious buildings, such as temples, a theater, a stadium, a gymnasium and a basilica. The structure of an 8-kilometer (5-mile) aqueduct also remains that served to bring fresh water to the city.

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Related Posts

Andalusia Was First Inhabited By Neolithic People From The Southern Part Of The Iberian Peninsula 6,200 Years Ago

Andalusia Was First Inhabited By Neolithic People From The Southern Part Of The Iberian Peninsula 6,200 Years Ago

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – The island of San Fernando, Cadiz in Andalusia, was home to the first Neolithic farmers and shepherds who decided to permanently settle there around 6,200 years ago. They practised shellfish collection and consumption all year round, with a preference for winter. Location of Campo de Hockey site in southern Iberian […]

Unknown Bronze Age Settlement Discovered Accidently In Heimberg, Switzerland

Unknown Bronze Age Settlement Discovered Accidentally In Heimberg, Switzerland

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Sometimes, when archaeologists look for one thing, they find something entirely different. This is exactly what happened in Switzerland when researchers were excavating, hoping to find an ancient Roman brick workshop, but they unearthed a previously unknown Bronze Age settlement instead. The excavation in Heimberg, on the right edge of […]

Unexplained Mystery Of The Dangerous Invisible And Unidentifiable Enemy In A French Town

Unexplained Mystery Of The Dangerous Invisible Enemy In A French Town

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – It was an ordinary day in a small, sleepy town in France. There were no indications anything strange was about to happen. Yet, an inexplicable and extraordinary event left the unsuspecting residents completely bewildered and unsure of what was unfolding. The situation that unfolded was indeed unusual, if not bizarre. […]

Rare 2,800-Year-Old Assyrian Scarab Amulet Found In Lower Galilee

Rare 2,800-Year-Old ᴀssyrian Scarab Amulet Found In Lower Galilee

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Erez Avrahamov, a 45-year-old inhabitant of Peduel, made an incredible discovery while hiking in the Tabor Stream Nature Reserve located in Lower Galilee. He stumbled upon an ancient seal shaped like a scarab that dates back to the First Temple period. Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority This ancient artifact is as […]

Dinas Powys: Late ‘Antique Hillfort Phenomenon’ In Post-Roman Western Britain

Dinas Powys: Late ‘Antique Hillfort Phenomenon’ In Post-Roman Western Britain

Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Dinas Powys, Glamorgan, located about 9km southwest of Cardiff, is a small inland fort of approximately 0.35ha. The hillfort was first excavated by a team of archaeologists led by Leslie Alcock from 1954 through to 1958. The site is often referenced as a prime example of elite settlements in post-Roman […]

Puzzling Vasconic Inscription On Ancient Irulegi Hand Resembles Basque Language

Puzzling Vasconic Inscription On Ancient Irulegi Hand Resembles Basque Language

Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – A few years ago, archaeologists excavating an Iron Age site known as Irulegi in northern Spain discovered a flat bronze artifact shaped like a human hand. After careful cleaning, they found it bore inscriptions of words from a Vasconic language. This language family includes Basque and several other languages that […]