New project to showcase looting at ancient site

A new project to reveal the history of 2,400-year-old tombs in Turkey's southwestern province of Mugla’s Milas district will not only focus on the area’s rich archaeological heritage, but also the historical attempts to rob the graves. The area and the tombs were robbed in the past, and the materials and the tools used in the robbery are also of important archaeological value. These tools will be exhibited in new project.

Abuzer Kizil says the area is home to some of the most important archaeological
findings for the past 100 years [Credit: AA]

Mugla Monuments and Hekatomnos Monument Science Association coordinator academic Abuzer Kizil said, the area, which is really important for archaeological history, is home to archaeological findings, perceived to be among the most important findings within the last 100 years. The tombs date back to 2,400 years and are very important findings, with excavations still continuing on them.

The archaeologists are still working on the tombs, which are perceived as the finding of the century.

Tools to be displayed

Kizil said the tombs have been robbed before and now the team of archaeologists will be exhibiting the robbery and the tools used, said Kizil.

Noting that the team has kept the robbery tools, Kizil said: “First, we did not aim to keep them for exhibition. However, later on we decided to exhibit them.

Kizil said the tombs were unearthed in 2010. Even though the tombs are laid in the center of the city, the thieves have robbed the area for three years. The burglary damaged many things in the area, mainly the paintings and tomb drawings.

Noting the burglars also damaged valuable marble walls, Kizil said they drilled the marble walls and used some parts as transport to the insides. “This is a very hard thing to do. The smugglers also damaged many paintings while they are doing these damages.”

“Currently we are receiving support from Japanese, Italian and Turkish archaeologists to protect and preserve the area,” said Kizil.

The area is expected to turn into an archaeo-park by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, he said. After that decision, they decided to exhibit the burgling tools to make people understand robbery’s anatomy. Kizil said: “We are keeping the burglary tools. There are many things to be exhibited such as costumes, pipes, tools to cut and reshape the marble.”

“We want to exhibit these because we want people to be ashamed of their actions,” he said and aims to make people more knowledgeable in terms of thievery.

Hekatomnos Monument Tomb’s thieves were caught by the police. There are total of nine people and four of them have been caught and released by the court.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [November 08, 2013]