Human Skeletal Remains from Salvage Excavations at the Dorumburnu Necropolis (The Sillyon Territorium/Antalya)

Abstract

In the drillings and salvage excavations carried out in Dorumburnu necropolis, Serik district of Antalya province, human skeletal remains were recovered from nine roof tile graves which dated to Late Antiquity. In this study, these skeletons were examined anthropologically and the findings were evaluated in the light of the literature. Although the population consists of a total of nine individuals, the age group of seven of them can be determined. One child (4 years old, ± 12 months) was present in the population and the infant/child mortality rate is 14% (n: 1/7). The other six individuals are adults. One of the adults in the population is male and two are females, but the sex of three adults could not be determined. As a pathological finding on the skeletons, local new bone formation was observed in the diaphysis of both tibia bones (right and left) of a male adult, most likely caused by trauma (without breaking the bone). Although this study was carried out on a group of skeletons consisting of a small number of individuals, it is important in terms of revealing the first anthropological information for the Sillyon Territorium.