Scientists Open Tomb That Proves Mythical Figure Existed

 Assemble and the team extracted more and more of the mosaic tiles.Excitement began to build.It was clearer now what they stumbled across. Most archeologists searched for a lifetime and.Never found anything like this.The tomb was well preserved and fully intact.Act they could not believe their eyes.There were so many stories and legends.About him and now here he was right in front of them.Scientists open tune that proves mythical figure existed. There are few fields out there as glamorized by mystery and legend as much as archeology is with pop culture and Hollywood only fuelling the intrigue with famous.Characters such as Indiana Jones and Lara.Croft, people sometimes tend to forget that it's an actual profession.

The reality of the job usually encompasses.More late nights, dirty clothes and frustration than the movie's portray. However, reallife archeologists do really often come.Across the kind of fines that legends are made of. Antalia, a province in Turkey, is known.As the centre of the country's tourism sector.Its main city, also named Antalia, is Turkey's fifth most populous city and has.A rich cultural history. Heading up the Antalya Diviner Eight Cultural.Assets department is a man named Semel Caribarum.While his position has provided him the.Opportunity to work with many interesting objects.And sights, one in particular stands out.In the region of Denmark. Antaga stands a famous church that has survived for centuries and was built amid.The ruins of the ancient city of Myra.Over years, the church has been turned into a museum due to its history as an ancient East Roman basilica.Archeologists have surveyed its boundaries before.

 However, when scientific teams conducted fresh surveys of the site, they were astonished to find something new.Technology continues to improve and open up.New avenues of discovery and many fields. The same is true of archaeology.Using modern radar technology, archaeologists discovered an ancient temple beneath the church in Denmark. More enthralling was the fact that the temple complex appeared to be almost fully intact.However, this exciting discovery did present other challenges.Since the temple was underground, reaching the.Actual site meant a complex excavation was required.This in itself wasn't impossible, but what made it more challenging was the presence of certain barriers.The team realized that it wasn't going to be easy to get down there. The church dated back to the 6th century. It was commissioned by the Roman Emperor.Justinian, who is also renowned for his legislative codices.That became the basis of many legal.Systems the world over.With so much history and delicate structures.

To work around, the biggest challenge for the excavation would be getting there without.Damaging anything else in the process.Like most historical sites and ancient churches.Not only is the history of these.Places worth preserving, but the stunning sites.They hold to the kind of beautiful, intricate architecture that the church holds is certainly worth preserving.Massive high ceilings, ornate walls and pillars.And a stunning cavernous interior make the church breathtakingly beautiful.But that's not all.Throughout the church's walls are beautiful fresco paintings.Ancient artwork comes in many forms, but not man.You're capable of elsa such ae as.The paintings found in ancient churches like these.The aesthetical beauty of these murals aside.They also hold rich historical and cultural significance.The reason is that they depict the life cycle of the famous figure after.Whom the church was named.

 As far as historical sites go, Antalya.And Turkey in general are renowned for theirs.In fact, the site is so renowned.Its significance and place in historical culture.Is underpinned by the fact that it.Is being considered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.Adding to this pressure to keep it.Undamaged, the temple that archeologists were trying.To get to also sat below a.Host of beautiful ancient mosaics and tiles.After much hard work, deep respect for.Its significance and dedication, semel and his.Team were able to reach the temple site. They were amazed by what lay there. A beautifully preserved and intact tomb was.Discovered after inspections and research was conducted.The team was astonished by the prospect.Of whose tomb this was. It was becoming clear that this was.Likely the real tomb of the famous.Fourth century bishop, St. Nicholas of Myraira.Who was famous for his generosity.

The ancient church itself was actually called the Church of St. Nicholas.The reason why this find was also so significant was that Saint Nicholas was.Also renowned for his gift giving and.Kindness towards children in particular.If the name sounds familiar, that's because.You may know him by the mythical character he inspired.Santa Claus.Yup, that's right. For those who may not be familiar.With the legend, santa Claus himself was really based on an actual person and historical figure.While much of the world might rejoice.At this last part of St. Nicholas'legend, for archaeologists, the find is also illuminating for other reasons.Santa legends aside, St. Nicholas the man is an important figure to Eastern Orthodox Christians.

It was previously believed that his body had been desecrated and moved to Bari, Italy, centuries ago. The discovery of this new tomb therefore completely changes the known historical facts of which little was previously known about the.Death of St. Nicholas.While work is ongoing on unlocking as many facts and secrets of the tomb as possible, none of it detracts from.The fact that Saint Nicholas was a.Great and wonderful person, someone truly deserving of his sainthood.As for Santa Claus, regardless of the.Actual history behind the legends, it's safe.To assume that everyone's favorite jolly gift giver remains alive and well in the.Hearts and minds of children around the world.Thanks for watching, and don't forget to like and subscribe.