Mystery Of The Meat-Eating Tombs Of Assos

MessageToEagle.com – The ‘meat-eater’ tombs of the ancient city of Assos in Turkey’s northwest gained fame throughout the world as bodies inside the tombs used to decompose within a short period of time.

The ancient city’s tombs (or sarcophagi) are built of stone that had the property of dissolving the body quickly (Greek sarx, “flesh”; phagein, “to eat”).

“The tombs here are first cut roughly, and their interior is carved. We know that the decorations on the tombs were made in the graveyard. Some long-time researchers have been trying to find out if the bodies decomposed in the tombs because of the stone used.

The ancient city of Assos (its old name “Behramkale”) was founded in the 8th century BCE by settlers from Mitylene on the nearby island of Lesbos.
Through its history the city was ruled in succession by the Lydians, Persians, Pergamenes, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans.