A 2,000-year-old sarcophagus with a female skeleton inside was found during road construction works in central Turkey. Municipality workers in Çorum province Tuesday found the sarcophagus located around 70 centimeters (27 inches) under the ground and informed Çorum Museum about the finding. Visiting the scene together with police teams, museum experts examined the area and transferred the sarcophagus to the museum after an excavation. The sarcophagus also contained pieces of glass and a perfume bottle made of terracotta, along with the skeleton which was sent to the Anthropology Department of Hitit University in Çorum for examination. Provincial Head of Culture and Tourism Office Sümeyra Şengül told reporters that the 2.72-meter (8.92-foot) long sarcophagus belongs to the Roman era. 'When we opened the cover of the sarcophagus we saw a female skeleton. It is estimated that it belonged to an old woman,' Şengül said. 'These (pieces of glass and a scent bottle) remind us of burial gifts of the Roman era,' she said and noted that such sarcophagus is rare in the region as it is made of local materials and possibly was made by 'local stone masters.' Stating that earlier they came across a soil grave in the region, Şengül added: 'All these make us think that the region should be examined thoroughly, and we might come across some irregular burial sites from the Roman period.' Directorate of the Museum initiated efforts under the Culture and Tourism Ministry to preserve and examine the region in detail as a protected area.
