ORDU, TURKEY—The remains of a Byzantine abbey were identified during the excavation of several Roman tombs near the coast of the Black Sea, according to a Hurriyet Daily News report. “Through historical records, documents and insights gleaned from various travelers and explorers who mentioned specific details, we determined that this site was a [Christian] monastery church, an abbey, dedicated to Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena,” said archaeologist Seçkin Evcim of Ordu University, who directs the project under the supervision of the Ordu Museum with the permission of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Republic of Turkey. Constantine, the first emperor to convert to Christianity, ruled Rome from A.D. 306 to 337. Human remains, coins, glass bracelets, a gold ring, belt buckles, a glass tear-shaped bottle, and pottery were recovered from the Roman burials, Evcim added. To read about how the emperor's architects reused art from Rome's past to create the Arch of Constantine, go to "A Monumental Imperial Biography."