Ancient rock tombs thought to date back to 3,500 years ago have been unearthed during an excavation being carried out by the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in the Ortakent district of Bodrum (Turkey).
     Professor Yusuf Boysal, the supervisor of the excavations, said his team so far has found the remains of several tombs, a canteen, a three-handled cup, a jug, a bronze razor, animals' bones, many pieces of glass and beads with different shapes.
     The tombs are believed to belong to the early 'Mycenaean Greece III A' era, which was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. The tombs also revealed human and animal bones, bronze containers and many different kinds of pieces. The necropolis area has been taken under protection. The findings of the excavation may belong to the bronze age and also to the Akha Hellenistic era.
     The experts are still not sure if there was a settlement or not near the tombs.

Edited from Today's Zaman (2 August 2013), Hurriyet Daily News (3 and 6 August 2013)