Archaeologists have discovered a cremation site in Beçin, near the city of Milas in Turkey’s Muğla Province, dating back approximately 3,000 years. These findings provide valuable insights into the funerary practices of ancient southwestern Anatolia.
The excavations, led by Professor Dr. Kadir Pektaş from Istanbul Medeniyet University, uncovered twelve ceramic urns at a depth of around 1.5 meters in the northeastern section of the site. The urns contained the ashes of the deceased, indicating complex cremation rituals. Preliminary analyses assign these burials to the Archaic period (8th–6th century BCE), making Beçin one of the few known sites from this era in the region.
Near the urns, the team also discovered a circular structure, likely used as a pyre for cremation. Professor Pektaş emphasized the ritual significance of these finds, explaining that cremation was part of a complex funerary ritual rather than a simple burial practice.
Beçin Castle, included on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is known as the former capital of the Menteshe Principality during the Middle Ages. The new discoveries enrich the understanding of the region’s history and provide insights into the funerary practices of communities that inhabited southwestern Anatolia in ancient times.