8,000-year-old graves star in Turkish timber promotion

The Turkish Timber Association (TTA) is using photos of ancient wooden grave covers with visible skeletons to communicate the durability of wood.

The TTA has seized upon archaeological discoveries during construction work to build a metro station in Yenikapi district of Istanbul.

The discovery of the old port of Istanbul (dating from about 400AD) during the excavations has so far unearthed more than 40 wooden boats.

However, the most important finds were graves, believing to date back to 6,500BC.

A photo of an intact wooden grave cover and other wooden material under a skeleton has been used by the TTA in its newsletter under the headline “8,500 Years Old…”

“Wood can survive thousands of years under suitable environmental conditions,” it said.

Logos of the newsletter’s sponsors – Remmers (wood coatings) and Senkron (Turkish distributor of Protim Solignum Ltd) – are included.