Indroduction

Human beings are emotional by nature. Since long before the great civilizations established mankind, death and separation have eluded full understanding. As a result, civilizations have performed various rituals to honor their deceased. Over time, these rites developed and changed, with different burial customs and grave types emerging. Grave types differ according to the customs and traditions of a society. In addition, the location of the deceased in the society and the community's financial means determine the grave quality. Cemeteries called necropolizes, which were generally created outside of a city, differed between various regions and periods. While cremation burial was preferred in one region, the use of sarcophagi in another period could be preferred. In some cases, more than one type of grave could be found in a single necropolis. Another feature of ancient burial traditions was the repeated use of the same grave. This situation could be valid for family members or for individuals buried in various difficult periods without regard to kin relations.

Accordingly, Anatolian civilizations have exhibited variations in both grave types and burial customs, based on the shifts in societal traditions over time. In addition, various grave types regionally differ. The graves unearthed in the Köşkdağı rescue excavation at Kayseri were likely part of a burial site due to the large number of their burials. The three types of graves in this burial area provide important information about the burial customs of the Kayseri region.

Method

The Köşkdağı Burial Site was exposed through the rescue excavation carried out by the Kayseri Museum. Five graves were found in the excavation area. Evaluation of these graves revealed their different build types.

Kayseri Museum positively received our request and granted the necessary permissions to document the burial area, evaluate the grave types, and present the findings in literature. After obtaining the work permit of the Burial Site, the initial locations of the tombs were documented through photographs and sketches. Inventory information about the burial area made by Kayseri Museum was provided to us. After completion of the documentation process, a literature review was performed to compare each grave type found at the site with similar examples. In addition, the findings of the graves were grouped according to their qualities and their comparison with examples from the literature review. Each find has been evaluated and interpreted in the grave group to which it belongs. Both the structure of the tombs and the finds were compared and found to resemble other examples from ancient times. As a result, a proposal has been submitted for the dates and usage periods of the graves.

Results and Discussion

In the Köşkdağı district, a burial area was unearthed with a sarcophagus that was discovered through illicit digging and a subsequent rescue excavation. Combined with the presence of different grave structures, the fact that the graves were built in a certain place and order suggests that this area may be a part of the ancient city's necropolis. In the same region, the Garipler Tumulus, which was excavated in 1971, supports this view. However, the partial placement of the ancient city beneath the modern city impedes systematic archaeological excavations. Structural elements and cultural features of the ancient city will be better understood by documenting and evaluating the finds resulting from excavations, such as the Köşkdağı rescue excavation.

We cannot recommend a specific construction year for any of the burial types identified in the burial area. However, we can discern that the sarcophagus was most clearly built during the Roman imperial period. Since the other grave types in the study are the earliest types of graves in Anatolia, their first usage dates are difficult to identify because their use as graves has continued over many years. Upon evaluation, the gifts of the dead from the graves were dated to the 1st century AD. Dating can be reliably performed until the middle of the 3rd century AD. In addition, the presence of more than one burial in most of the graves indicates that the graves were used during certain intervals and explains the temporal differences between the gifts of the dead. The graves unearthed through the rescue excavation show the diversity of the burial traditions in Kayseri throughout ancient times. Moreover, the coins found from the carved tombs indicate that the burial area was in use until the 3rd century AD. Thus, the graves and their finds can be used as correlative sources for the grave types and usage periods that have since been unearthed. The orderly placement of plates and carved graves, along with the discovery of more than one burial, indicates that the Köşkdağı burial area may have been used as a family cemetery. Although the sarcophagus was found in a singular instance, it contained multiple burials and maintained proximity to the plate tombs, suggesting that this tomb was re-opened for family members. Thus, the Köşkdağı burial area was most likely a cemetery used as a necropolis by families with different financial means.

Recommendations

The burial area of Kayseri Köşkdağı gives information about tomb types, tomb finds, and the ancient traditions of Kayseri. Grave types exhibit the burial customs and construction techniques. The finds from the graves constitute important data showing the region's historical background. Particularly, the uncovered coins show the social life in the region and the continuity of the burial area during the Late Roman Period. In this context, this study warrants the attention of regional archaeology.