Iznik theater excavation reveals earliest Anatolian plague evidence
13:39, 25/08/2026, TuesdayU: Update: 14:33, 25/08/2026, Tuesday
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An aerial view of the Roman Theater as the evidence of an early plague outbreak in Anatolia has been identified in skeletal remains belonging to approximately 20 individuals discovered in a Byzantine-era necropolis during ongoing excavations south of the Roman Theater in Iznik district of Bursa, Turkiye, on August 20, 2026.Excavation team head Aygun Ekin Meric said archaeologists have uncovered nearly 20 skeletons at a Byzantine cemetery near Iznik's Roman theater, with bone analysis revealing what researchers describe as the earliest known case of plague in Anatolia.
Excavation team head Aygun Ekin Meric said skeletal remains uncovered at a Byzantine-era cemetery near Iznik's ancient Roman theater in northwestern Türkiye show evidence of the earliest known case of plague in Anatolia, marking a significant discovery for disease history in the region. The bones belong to nearly 20 individuals, including men, women and children, excavated this year from a necropolis located south of the theater in the historic Bursa province town.
The burial site dates primarily to the Byzantine era, with graves situated roughly one meter below the surface, according to the research team. "Previous examinations of the bones found evidence of the earliest known case of plague in Anatolia. This is a very important finding," Meric said, adding that specialists from McMaster University in Canada and Rutgers University in the US are collaborating on the analysis.
Christian burial customs identified
The deceased were generally buried facing east with their hands placed over their stomachs, a pattern consistent with Christian burial practices, Meric noted. Researchers recovered few grave goods from the site, though several beads were found among the remains, which have been transferred to an excavation facility for cleaning and further study.
Theater site's layered history
The Roman theater in Iznik, built during the imperial period, served multiple functions over the centuries before its conversion to religious and burial uses in the Byzantine era. Excavations at the site began in the 1980s and have been led by Dokuz Eylul University since 2016, revealing churches, tile kilns and residential layers surrounding the ancient performance venue, which opened to visitors in 2024 following restoration work.
Meric estimated that approximately four more years of archaeological work remain to complete the excavation of the theater complex. The team plans to continue excavations through the end of the current season before expanding work to other sections of the site.
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