Turkey has hosted many important civilizations in the past. Gordion Ancient City, one of these civilizations and the capital of Phrygia, is located in the Polatlı district of Ankara. In the ancient city located in Yassıhöyük Village, which is home to a 4,000-year-old history, there are mounds of various sizes, that is, tombs called “Tumulus”. The largest Tumulus in the region where 128 Tumulus is located; It is the Midas Tumulus. Tumuli, historical artifacts and city ruins in Gordion Ancient City are on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
The tumulus, which was built by the Phrygian king Midas for his father in 740 BC, has the distinction of being the second largest tumulus in the world. Midas Tumulus is located opposite Gordion Museum. The burial chamber of the tumulus is accepted as the oldest example of wooden structure that has survived to the present day in the world. Pine, cedar and juniper trees were used in the construction of the Tumulus, which was built as a burial chamber.
There is 3900 tons of earth filling on the tumulus, which was built by human hands in the form of a hill. It is 300 meters in diameter and 53 meters in length. At the center of the tumulus is the burial chamber, which is reached by an 80-meter corridor. The outer part of the Tumulus, which consists of two layers, was built with a stone wall, and the inner part was made of wooden material. inner room; It is in the form of a doorless rectangular prism with a floor of 5 meters by 6 meters and a height of 3 meters.
During the excavations carried out in 1957 in the tumulus, nearly 310 artifacts were unearthed. These works exhibited in the museum; fibulae, vessels, cauldrons, jugs and wooden tables. The artifacts unearthed in the tomb provide information about the burial tradition of that period. It is estimated that the tradition of “kurgan”, in which the dead were buried with their belongings, was also kept alive at that time.
During the excavations carried out in the ancient city; The main entrance gate of the city, the southern walls, the southern gate and many ruins dating from the early bronze age to the Middle Ages were unearthed. The world’s oldest pebble mosaics, estimated to have been made in the 9th century BC, are exhibited in the museum, where approximately 750 historical artifacts are exhibited. At the same time, there are pottery and pottery belonging to the bronze age.
Discoveries Made in the Ancient City of Gordion
Gordion Ancient City, which is 94 kilometers away from Ankara province, is located at the junction of important main roads in Anatolia. It has been one of the places of great interest for settlement throughout history, due to the rivers and lands suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry around it. Excavations in and around the ancient city revealed that the city of Gordion had a history dating back to the Phrygians.
The history of the ancient city of Gordion dates back to 3 thousand years BC. B.C. It entered the Hittite domination in 1700 BC and after 500 years of domination. It disintegrated around 1200. After the Migration of Tribes in Anatolia, the Phrygians settled in Gordion. During the reign of Gordios, the Phrygian King in 800 BC, the city became the capital. He lived his heyday in the time of Gordios’ son Midas. The castle walls of the city, which is surrounded by enormous walls, were renovated during the reign of King Gordios and his son Midas. Today, the city is known as the place where Phrygian culture is best represented. Many of the written documents belonging to the Phrygians belong to the period when the castle was repaired. In mythology, it is believed that King Midas turns everything he touches into gold. Midas is also known as donkey-eared.
In the Ancient City of Gordion, there are 18 layers of formation from the old bronze age to the Phrygian period, overlapping each other. The pottery styles unearthed in the excavations in the region are reminiscent of Macedonians. For this reason, it is estimated that the Phrygians came to this region from Thrace and the Balkan peninsula. Many musical instruments used today were developed by the Phrygians. The thousands of years old motifs on the rugs found in Anatolia come from the Phrygian motifs. It is known that the technology used by the Phrygians, who were highly developed in mining and woodworking, especially in making safety pins, was at a very advanced level compared to that period.
B.C. The city, which was destroyed in 695 due to the wars with the Cimmerian tribes, was burned and destroyed. It is estimated that King Midas committed suicide by drinking ox blood during this period. The city, which came under the rule of Lydia after these wars, was used as the center of commercial life. A large number of Lydian pottery was found inside a castle adjacent to the main settlement of the city, so it was thought to house the Lydian Military Garrison. Phrygians, who continued their dominance for 300 years as principalities, Alexander the GreatIt was erased from history after the invasions of Anatolia.
