Ancient capital Gordion

Gordion, once the great capital of the Phrygian dynasty, is located in the modern village of Yassihöyük, about 96 km southwest of Ankara. Although famously related to the story of the Gordion Knot, which Alexander the Great cut through rather than untied, Gordion's history spans much longer.

Excavations in the surrounding area provide evidence that the area was settled in the Early Bronze Age (2500 BC), while tombs discovered beneath the Phrygian cemetery show the presence of the Hittites in the next era.

The Phrygians are thought by scholars to be one of the so-called "Sea Peoples" who invaded Asia Minor around 1200 BC in a series of invasions. According to Assyrian imprints dating to about 1100 BC, they called them Mushki or Mosher and said that they settled on both sides of the Kizilirmak River in Anatolia, from there they began to threaten the eastern neighbors of the country. me.

Phrygians found in Gordion date from the mid 9th century BC. Greek sources retain the legend of the founding of the Phrygian dynasty and its capital, which began when a farmer named Gordius, busy plowing his fields, was startled by a flock of harriers. down around his cow. Eager to find out the meaning behind this omen, he set out to consult the women of a nearby town.

Along the way, he meets a beautiful woman, who tells him that the birds are a sign of his royal destiny and proposes that he hand over marriage. Gordius then drove his bullock cart to the temple, where he was immediately honored as king by the townspeople after a prophet said that the first person they saw driving to the temple would be the king of surname.

Then, Gordius erected his bullock cart in the temple, attached the fork to the shaft with a long strap and elaborately knotted it, which later became known as the Gordian Knot. This intricate knot has no visible end and is considered non-removable. According to legend, whoever succeeds will become the ruler of Asia Minor.

The most famous Phrygian ruler was King Midas, son of Gordius who, in Greek mythology, turned everything he touched into gold. However, the Phrygian dynasty did not last long. Phrygia was overthrown by both the Cimmerians and the Scythians between 700 and 670 BC, and from the ruins of the Kingdom of Phrygia emerged the Lydian Empire, under the auspices of the Phrygian culture. In 546 BC, the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia defeated the Lydians and built a new settlement at Gordion.

An earthquake destroyed the town around 400 BC, and by the time Alexander the Great arrived here in 334 BC, Gordion was little more than a village.

Gordius' original bullock cart was still tied up on the hill of Gordion next to the temple as the ambitious Alexander approached. Determined to fulfill the Gordian Knot prophecy, Alexander the Great is said to have cut the knot in half with his sword (according to Greek Historian Aristobulus of Cassandreia, Alexander removed the pin holding the shaft instead, due that frees the end of the node). Either way, Alexander the Great continued to conquer Asia Minor, and the legend of the Gordian Knot prophecy came true.

By the time archaeologists, led by Rodney S. Young of the University of Pennsylvania, began excavation work here in 1953, the Sakarya River had deposited a layer of sediment several meters thick on the ruins of the town. town of Gordon.

By 1963, people had unearthed 169 bronze vases and 175 bronze screens (decorative brooches). However, there is no trace of the legendary Phrygian treasure, believed to have been taken by the Cimmerians.

In the town of Gordion, archaeologists unearthed a majestic city gate from the 8th century BC. Preserved at a height of more than nine meters, it is a testament to the sophistication of Phrygian stone architecture. Other finds from that time include the stone foundations of a palace complex, once mud-brick walls supported on wooden frames.

In three of the four megaron-style buildings, with their fireplaces, foyer and main hall, mosaics have been found. A second gate unearthed here dates back to the Persian period.

For tourists, the Tomb of Midas is the number one attraction of a Gordion sightseeing trip. This mausoleum was built as early as the early 7th century BC. It is constructed from wood (mainly cedar) and is buried in a tum (an artificial earthen mound), 53 m high and 250 m in diameter, making it the largest of its kind. in Anatolia.

In the southwest, a path 70 meters long leads down to the tomb, 39 meters below the top of the mound. This room, hidden beneath a block of limestone and discovered in 1957, has its original wooden beamed walls and gable roof still intact.

When archaeologists entered the mausoleum, they found the intact skeleton of a man, about 60 years old, his clothes fastened with well-preserved copper cords (a total of 175 objects). bronze was discovered in the burial chamber). Around the body, tables were piled with solemn gifts.

Other smaller mounds nearby contain tombs from the period 725 to 550 BC. The so-called Children's Tomb to the southeast of the museum yields some rather exceptional treasures, including wooden furniture, ivory reliefs, and boxwood carvings.

The small Gordion Museum, opposite the Tomb of Midas, displays finds here including bronze statues, glass jewelry and an extensive coin collection. Of particular interest to history buffs is the display of jewelry from Mesopotamia and Babylonian coinage, both of which provide evidence of Gordion's importance as an important link with ancient trade routes of the region.