Excavating the Phrygian Capital of Gordion

Year 2023, Issue: 85, 13 - 25, 01.01.2023

Charles Brian Rose

Abstract

Located in central Turkey, 100 km southwest of Ankara, the citadel mound of Gordion encompasses nine successive settlements spanning nearly four millennia, from ca. 2400 B.C. to the 14th century A.D. The city’s period of greatest prosperity lay in the 9th and 8th centuries, and the site reached the height of its fame during the reign of Midas (ca. 740-696 B.C.), well known for his “golden touch.” This article describes the recent fieldwork at the site, including the conservation of the East Citadel Gate, the Terrace Complex, and a large pebble mosaic, all of which date to the 9th c. B.C. The new excavations at the South Citadel Gate and in the center of the mound are also described, along with the most recent remote sensing results.

Keywords

Gordion, Phrygians, Tumuli, Conservation, Midas

References

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