Skeleton found in 5th century church

DAMACUS, Syria, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Archaeologists have found a skeleton in a small 5th century Christian cathedral being excavated in northeastern Syria, authorities said Saturday.

The Byzantine-era cathedral in Tal al-Hasaka is 59 feet long with a 13-foot-wide northern hall, the Kuwait news agency KUNA reported Saturday.

A grape squeezer and the skeleton of a human believed to have been tortured to death were found in a service area off the northern hall, Abdul-Maseeh Baghdo, the leader of the dig team, said Saturday.

Archaeologist have uncovered a floor inlaid with reddish-yellow baked clay, the stairway, steps and two intact 16-foot columns that supported a long-ago collapsed ceiling of baked clay and basalt stone, KUNA reported.