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BONES, SKULL REVEALED IN OPERA STAGE RENOVATION
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 30 2012
Renovation work at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet's building has
unearthed a skull and human bones from the opera stage's orchestra pit,
25 to 30 meters underground. The finds have been sent to a museum
Human bones and a skull have been discovered under the stage at the
historical Ankara Opera House, home of the Ankara State Opera and
Ballet (ADOB), during renovations, daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.
Restoration work at the building has been halted to permit
archaeologists a chance to examine the venue.
ADOB performs most of its pieces in the historical opera building,
which was built in 1933 as an exhibition house and turned into an
opera house in 1984. The State Theaters also use the building under
the name Buyuk Tiyatro (Great Theater). Since it is an old structure,
the stage was insufficient for the needs of the opera and underwent
a restoration process at the end of the last opera season.
During the renovations, a skull, arm, leg bones and pottery were
discovered 25 to 30 meters under the stage. The directorate informed
the Culture and Tourism Ministry about the findings and archaeologists
from the Cultural Heritage and Museums General Directorate investigated
the area.
ADOB director Aykut Cınar told Hurriyet that the stage elevators
were being renovated. "There is a platform approximately 25 to 30
meters under the stage where the elevator hoist mechanism is. The
mechanism was removed to be changed since these machines are very old.
Excavation was necessary for their removal."
After learning about the discovery, Cınar said he and ADOB General
Director Regim Gökmen stopped the excavation, installed a safety line
and requested an anthropologist and archaeologist from the ministry
to inspect the findings.
Cınar said the team arrived at the building the same night and began
examinations. "They determined that there were no more remains and
gave us permission to continue excavations under the supervision of
an archaeologist. The area was already very small and the excavations
continued two more days."
Noting that there were no further discoveries, he said, "There were
only a few human bones like legs, arms and a skull, as well as very
small pieces of pottery from old periods."
He said a report would be prepared about the findings. "We have heard
that the finds are most probably from the Roman period, but we are
waiting for the official report. The excavation work is done and the
archaeologist has left the site. We have delivered the bones to the
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations," Cınar said.
According to some resources, the area was an Armenian cemetery during
the Ottoman Empire, which might be the source of the remains.
Hurriyet Daily News
Aug 30 2012
Renovation work at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet's building has
unearthed a skull and human bones from the opera stage's orchestra pit,
25 to 30 meters underground. The finds have been sent to a museum
Human bones and a skull have been discovered under the stage at the
historical Ankara Opera House, home of the Ankara State Opera and
Ballet (ADOB), during renovations, daily Hurriyet reported yesterday.
Restoration work at the building has been halted to permit
archaeologists a chance to examine the venue.
ADOB performs most of its pieces in the historical opera building,
which was built in 1933 as an exhibition house and turned into an
opera house in 1984. The State Theaters also use the building under
the name Buyuk Tiyatro (Great Theater). Since it is an old structure,
the stage was insufficient for the needs of the opera and underwent
a restoration process at the end of the last opera season.
During the renovations, a skull, arm, leg bones and pottery were
discovered 25 to 30 meters under the stage. The directorate informed
the Culture and Tourism Ministry about the findings and archaeologists
from the Cultural Heritage and Museums General Directorate investigated
the area.
ADOB director Aykut Cınar told Hurriyet that the stage elevators
were being renovated. "There is a platform approximately 25 to 30
meters under the stage where the elevator hoist mechanism is. The
mechanism was removed to be changed since these machines are very old.
Excavation was necessary for their removal."
After learning about the discovery, Cınar said he and ADOB General
Director Regim Gökmen stopped the excavation, installed a safety line
and requested an anthropologist and archaeologist from the ministry
to inspect the findings.
Cınar said the team arrived at the building the same night and began
examinations. "They determined that there were no more remains and
gave us permission to continue excavations under the supervision of
an archaeologist. The area was already very small and the excavations
continued two more days."
Noting that there were no further discoveries, he said, "There were
only a few human bones like legs, arms and a skull, as well as very
small pieces of pottery from old periods."
He said a report would be prepared about the findings. "We have heard
that the finds are most probably from the Roman period, but we are
waiting for the official report. The excavation work is done and the
archaeologist has left the site. We have delivered the bones to the
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations," Cınar said.
According to some resources, the area was an Armenian cemetery during
the Ottoman Empire, which might be the source of the remains.