A nearly complete skull of a young macaque discovered inside a Roman-period tomb in southern Turkey is shedding new light on the movement of exotic animals across the Roman Empire.
Researchers say the monkey may have belonged to one of ancient Greek city Attaleia’s (Greek: Ἀττάλεια) wealthy residents, serving as a prized pet, a trained performer, or a symbol of social status before its death about 1,800 years ago.
The skull was found in a chamber tomb beneath present-day Antalya at the ancient city of Attaleia. Archaeologists uncovered it among the remains of 22 people, grave goods, scattered animal bones and the complete skeleton of a dog.
The study, led by anthropologists Ahmet İhsan Aytek and Alper Yener Yavuz of Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, was published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.
The discovery is the first archaeological macaque specimen from Turkey to undergo a detailed osteological examination, providing new insight into the role of exotic animals in Roman society.
A rare find from an ancient cemetery
The skull came from Attaleia’s ancient necropolis, where excavations between 2008 and 2010 uncovered 840 burials, including chamber tombs, sarcophagi, rock-cut graves and cremation burials. The monkey’s remains were recovered from a chamber tomb known as M267, originally built during the Hellenistic period and reused between the late second and early third centuries CE.
The monkey was not identified during the excavation. Researchers recognized the soil-covered skull only after the skeletal material was transferred to a laboratory for cleaning and restoration. Because its original position inside the tomb was not recorded, researchers cannot determine whether the animal was intentionally buried beside a particular individual or placed in the chamber at a later stage.
Analysis points to a young Barbary macaque
Despite damage caused by centuries of burial, the upper jaw remained well preserved. Researchers measured eight dental features and compared them with those of modern primates.
The results identified the animal as belonging to the Macaca genus. Its teeth most closely matched those of the Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), although the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) could not be completely ruled out. Without ancient DNA, the identification remains provisional.
Tooth development showed the monkey was about 20 to 24 months old when it died. It likely weighed between 6 and 8 kilograms (13 to 18 pounds). Tooth size also suggests it was probably male, although the missing canine teeth prevent a definite conclusion.
Researchers found no signs of disease, injury, butchery, or other human modification on the skull.
Trade routes likely brought the monkey to Attaleia
If the identification is correct, the monkey probably arrived from North Africa, where wild Barbary macaques still survive in Morocco and Algeria.
During the Roman period, Mediterranean trade routes carried not only grain, olive oil and ceramics but also exotic animals. Historical records show that lions, elephants, leopards, gazelles, hyenas and monkeys were transported for public spectacles, private collections and elite households.
Researchers say macaques were especially suited to life alongside people because they were intelligent, adaptable and relatively easy to transport. Their rarity also made them expensive, making ownership a visible sign of wealth and access to long-distance trade.
Attaleia’s protected harbor, now beneath Antalya’s historic Kaleiçi district, served as one of Pamphylia’s most important ports. Those maritime connections would have provided a direct route for imported animals entering the city.
An unanswered mystery
Why the monkey was buried in the chamber remains unknown. Similar discoveries elsewhere in the Roman world suggest that monkeys were sometimes buried with their owners and treated as valued companions rather than simple possessions.
The complete dog skeleton found in the same tomb supports the possibility that animals held personal importance for those using the burial chamber.
Even so, the evidence is incomplete. Researchers cannot determine whether the monkey was buried intact, placed in the tomb as an offering, or introduced during a later phase of its use.
Even with those uncertainties, the discovery provides rare evidence that a young macaque lived in Roman Attaleia, far from its natural habitat. Researchers say the find highlights the reach of Roman trade networks and offers a glimpse into the close relationships that could develop between people and the exotic animals they brought into the empire.
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