The mystery of the Assos stone sarcophagus that allows corpses to decompose extremely quickly.

The ancient city of Assos in Türkiye fascinates experts as the site of a strange and inexplicable phenomenon. Local residents were the first to discover it. They reported that the stone coffins in the Assos cemetery decomposed corpses at an extremely rapid rate. In just about 40 days, the bodies placed in the stone coffins were completely decomposed. (Image: Ancient Origins)

Therefore, this mysterious phenomenon is called σαρκο φαγοσ ('sarko fagos'). In Greek, this phrase means "cannibal." Image: romeartlover.it.

Historical records indicate that Assos was originally a small town in the Çanakkale province of Türkiye, founded between approximately 1000 BC and 900 BC. Aeolian settlers from Lesbos founded Assos. (Image: romeartlover.it)

The first inhabitants of Assos also built the Doric Temple for the goddess Athena on the mountaintop in 530 BC. This area was ruled by Hermias, a student of Plato. During Hermias's reign, Assos flourished economically and culturally. Many great philosophers came to live here. Photo: romeartlover.it.

However, Assos's heyday ended a few years after the Persian invasion and it subsequently fell to Alexander the Great in 334 BC. Following this, Assos came under Roman control. (Image: romeartlover.it)

By the 5th century BC, the first coffins were used in Assos to bury the dead. Made from andesite, each coffin was about 2 meters long, and 80-90 centimeters wide and 90 centimeters high. Accordingly, each coffin weighed about 3 tons. Photo: romeartlover.it.

The stone sarcophagi at Assos exhibit an extremely rapid rate of decomposition. Normally, it takes several years, even decades, for an adult's body to completely decompose. However, an adult's body placed in a stone sarcophagus at Assos takes only about 40 days to decompose completely. Photo: romeartlover.it.

Faced with this mysterious phenomenon, scientists have conducted research to find an explanation. Despite dedicating much time and effort, they have yet to find a definitive answer to the mysterious "flesh-eating" coffins in Assos. (Image: romeartlover.it)

Several theories have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. Among them, one suggests that ancient people may have added aluminum to the coffins to speed up the decomposition of the corpse. Photo: romeartlover.it.

Meanwhile, one theory suggests that the soil and climate in Assos may play a significant role in accelerating the decomposition of corpses. Photo: romeartlover.it.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Unveiling a lost civilization through archaeological remains.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/bi-an-quan-tai-da-assos-giup-tu-thi-phan-huy-cuc-nhanh-post1545639.html