Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in Türkiye’s Karabük Province have uncovered an exceptionally rare 1,750-year-old pithos burial, offering new insights into Roman-period funerary practices in the western Black Sea region. The discovery, made during ongoing excavation and restoration work at the site in Eskipazar, is believed to be the first documented example of a burial of this type in the region.

Hadrianopolis was inhabited from the Late Chalcolithic period through the Roman and Early Byzantine eras and has become one of the country’s most important archaeological sites. Excavations are currently led by Ersin Çelikbaş of Karabük University.

The pithos contained the skeletal remains of an individual accompanied by a group of grave goods. Archaeologists recovered seven ceramic vessels, an oil lamp, a coin, a knife, and two hair clips made of bone, all of which provide valuable evidence about burial customs and daily life during the Roman period.

According to Çelikbaş, while pithos burials are known from other parts of Anatolia, no previous examples have been identified through excavations or archaeological surveys in the inland western Black Sea region. This makes the discovery particularly important for understanding local funerary traditions and the diversity of burial practices in Roman Anatolia.

Among the objects recovered, a coin minted during the reign of Probus provides a key chronological marker. Probus ruled the Roman Empire between AD 276 and 282, indicating that the burial likely dates to the late third century AD. The ceramic assemblage also includes examples of Pontic Sigillata, a fine tableware associated with the Black Sea region that has previously been identified at several locations within Hadrianopolis.

The two bone hair clips recovered from the burial suggest that the deceased may have been female, although further analysis of both the skeletal remains and associated artifacts is needed before confirming this.

The newly discovered pithos burial adds an important chapter to the archaeological record of Hadrianopolis, enriching our understanding of the city’s burial traditions and funerary culture during the Roman era. The artifacts recovered from the grave are expected to be catalogued as part of the site’s permanent archaeological inventory, further contributing to the study of one of the western Black Sea region’s most significant ancient settlements.