The Necropoleis of the Ancient Çivril Settlement

Çivril, a district of Samsun’s İlkadım Municipality, among its borders shelters an ancient settlement which has been named after the district. The ancient settlement of Çivril is known to have been habitated from the Iron Age until the end of the Byzantine Period. The ancient Çivril Settlement was first discovered in 2015 along with one single grave beside it. With recent survey results from 2023 and 2024 further graves have been discovered. The discovered graves range from rock cut chamber tombs, to terracotta sarcophagi, and chamosorium graves. The mentioned graves are located in two seperate areas and for the time being these are the only two necropoleis of the ancient Çivril Settlement. Within the two necropoleis areas additional finds such as pottery fragments hint to the burial customs and the context of the graves. The aim of this article is to introduce each of the discovered graves along with the surface finds related to the two ancient Çivril settlement necropoleis. As well as comparing the graves with other known similar graves discovered in the Samsun (Amisus) Region in order to reach conclusions and possible dating regarding the two necropoleis of the ancient Çivril settlement, is the second aim of this article.