Archaeologists uncover vast complex of ancient tombs in biblical city tied to St Paul's letter

Archaeologists in Turkey recently uncovered over 60 ancient tombs in Colossae, a biblical city immortalized in the New Testament.

The city is best known for being the home of the early Christian community to which St. Paul addressed his Epistle to the Colossians, the 12th book of the New Testament.

Though the ancient city had been settled since the 6th century B.C., it lost prominence when it was severely damaged in an earthquake in the 1st century A.D.

Despite being rebuilt in the 7th century, the site was ultimately abandoned in 787 after another devastating earthquake.

He noted, "After removing the surface soil, we identified around 65 tombs, of which we excavated 60."

Excavators were surprised to find so many side-by-side tombs in such a confined area.

The necropolis reflects how ancient people made "remarkable use" of the area's geological and topographical features, Yener said.

"They sought to use the travertine rock formations efficiently, since agriculture - particularly grain production - was practiced at the time," he added. 

"To preserve arable land, they designated the rocky travertine areas as burial grounds."

Yener said he uncovered numerous charms, amulets and stones that were "thought to possess healing qualities."

"The findings reveal how much the people of Colossae valued magic, talismans and objects believed to have protective powers," he said.