Dardanos / Tümülüsü

A few kilometers southwest of Çanakkale, to the right of the old coast road where it curves beyond the Kepez valley, rises the acropolis hill of ancient Dardanos, today crowned by a memorial to the fallen of the World War II (Sehitlik Batarya).

A signposted turning barely a kilometer further on (southwest) leads to the Dardanos Tümülüsü, a burial mound situated close to the sea. It was opened up by Rüstem Duyuran in 1959. Beyond an entrance corridor he found a burial chamber with three stone benches (still in situ) and an array of grave-goods, including jewelry, vanitory items, vases, lamps, figures and coins. There were also remains of a musical instrument and inscribed funeral urns (now in the museum in Çanakkale) dating from the fourth century B.C. well into the Hellenistic period.