Turkish police searching for a stolen truck stumble upon ancient sarcophagus


While searching for a stolen truck in Turkey's northwestern city of Bursa, police stumbled upon an object that, while not stolen, had been lost for approximately 1,800 years.
While driving around looking for the stolen truck, police noticed an abandoned excavation site in an olive grove, The Daily Sabah reports. The police reported the site to the gendarmerie, who sent archaeologists from the Iznik Museum to check out the excavation.
With a little bit of careful digging, the archaeologists discovered a second century AD marble sarcophagus beneath their feet. "It reportedly has two antefixes on both sides, each of which have five lion's heads and weigh six tons," The Daily Sabah writes.
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Another sarcophagus recently discovered in the same region was believed to have belonged to a queen, but when researchers discovered it, treasure hunters had already raided it. The new sarcophagus will be displayed in the Iznik Museum once it is properly excavated.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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