During the excavation carried out in the „villa ruins“ of the Roman period in Mardin’s Kızıltepe district, where mosaics with figures of sea creatures were found, 1500-year-old jaw bones of an Anatolian leopard (Anatolian leopard) were found in a rock tomb.
In the rural area of Uzunkaya District, approximately 30 kilometers away from the center of Kızıltepe district of Mardin, in the area known among the public as „Kela Hanma (Lady’s Castle)“, under the chairmanship of Mardin Museum Director Abdulgani Tarkan, expert archaeologist and art historian Volkan Bağcılar, museum expert archaeologist Mehmet Şan and teams. The rescue excavation carried out with his participation continues.During the excavation, 4 rock tombs were identified near the mosaic villa rustica (farm, country house), a rural settlement surrounded by walls formed by a central building and smaller additional structures spread around it in Ancient Rome. During the examination of one of the rock tombs, approximately 10 human bones and animal bones were found.During the examination, it was determined that the animal findings were two lower and one upper jaw bones dating back 1500 years, belonging to the endangered Anatolian leopard, which is considered an extremely important species in terms of biodiversity.Head of Excavation Abdulgani Tarkan said that they were working on the rock tombs on the southern and northern slopes of the area. Tarkan stated that one of the rock tombs dates back to the 5th and 7th centuries, and that the entrance to the rock tomb’s dromos (a narrow and long passage, corridor, which provided entry to the burial chamber, usually in tumulus or underground graves in ancient times) was preserved, although it was partially destroyed, and said, „Inside the rock tomb, there are klines (klines) „There is an altar (the religious building where vows are made and sacrifices are made) in front of the dead bed and klines.“ said.Tarkan explained that this is not a very common situation and that this is the first time they have come across an altar in front of a kline in a rock tomb in this region.Stating that they detected the bones of an Anatolian leopard in the grave, Tarkan said, „For the first time, we have found the skeleton of an Anatolian leopard in a rock tomb. This is a very important development. The Anatolian leopard is a species that lived in the region until recent years. It is a cat species that is still seen in a few places in our country. It has also been seen in the past.“ „With this excavation, we have proven the existence of the Anatolian leopard that lived in this region. This is the oldest known skeletal finding of the Anatolian leopard in the region.“ he said.Tarkan stated that they found skeletons of different animals besides the Anatolian leopard in the forest area where they excavated. Stating that they made two guesses about the Anatolian leopard whose jaw bones they found, Tarkan said, „Maybe it used this place as a shelter and died here. Another guess is that it was hunted and put in the grave. It may also have been hunted and sacrificed to the individual lying in the grave.“ he said.Mardin Artuklu University (MAÜ) Faculty of Letters, Department of Anthropology, Lecturer and zooarchaeologist Assoc. Dr. Abu B. Siddiq said that in their analysis, they confirmed that the bones belonged to an Anatolian leopard.Stating that they were very excited when they were given information about the bones, Siddiq said: „Morphological analysis of the bones was carried out in the zooarchaeology laboratory of the university. As a result of the tooth structure, the presence of 3 teeth, the straight jaw structure and the comparisons made with reference samples, we confirmed that these jaw bones belong to the Anatolian leopard. Leopard.“ There are cut marks on the bones of the ancient Anatolian leopard. We can say that it definitely belongs to that period, based on the cut marks and the jaw structure. As far as we know, there are no bones belonging to the Anatolian leopard in any settlement in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia. These bones are shown as the first archaeological examples. Therefore, this is very important. „And it will be a very rare archaeological record. That’s why these bones are really exciting and we attach great importance to them.“Assoc. Dr. Siddiq stated that the Asian lion, the Anatolian leopard and the lynx, all members of the large predatory feline family, live in Anatolia. Stating that the Asiatic lion in particular has become completely extinct, Siddiq noted that the Anatolian leopard was also known as an extinct animal until the 1980s, but has been rarely seen in the eastern regions of Turkey in recent years.Explaining that the Anatolian leopard is a solitary animal, not in groups, Siddiq said, „These animals move 300-500 kilometers seasonally from time to time. They rarely come by migrating. The data we found in archaeological excavations show that this is a suitable habitat. The mountainous regions of Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions „The area is a suitable habitat for the Anatolian leopard.“ he said.
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The excavation carried out in Mardin’s Kızıltepe district revealed 1500-year-old jaw bones of an Anatolian leopard in a rock tomb. The findings are considered extremely important in terms of biodiversity and are a rare archaeological record. The Anatolian leopard, which is now endangered, was found in the rural area of Uzunkaya District.
During the excavation, 4 rock tombs were identified, and the jaw bones of the Anatolian leopard were found in one of these tombs. This discovery is the oldest skeletal finding of the Anatolian leopard in the region. Other animal skeletons were also found in the forest area where the excavation took place.
Mardin Artuklu University’s Department of Anthropology confirmed through analysis that the bones belonged to an Anatolian leopard. The bones showed cut marks, and the structure of the jaw also indicated that they belonged to this leopard species.
The discovery of the Anatolian leopard bones is significant, as it provides insights into the ancient fauna of the region. This finding contributes to the understanding of the natural history of Anatolia and highlights the importance of protecting endangered species.
