The city of Gordion, capital of the Phrygian Kingdom, is located 94 km west of Ankara, next to Yassıhöyük village, 29 km northwest of Polatlı. Findings obtained from the excavations show that there was a settlement in Gordion before the Phrygian Period since the Early Bronze Age. However, the city showed its great development as the capital of the Phrygians in the 9th century BCE, and after the Phrygian period the settlement continued until the 14th century CE. The Gordion mound, which covers an area of approximately 13.5 acres, is located right on the river Sakarya (Sangarios). The mound was first discovered and studied by the brothers Gustav and Alfred Körte in 1900, and since 1950 excavations have been carried out almost uninterruptedly by Rodney Young, Keith DeVries, Mary Voigt, Kenneth Sams, and currently Brian Rose. The artifacts are exhibited in museums in Gordion, Istanbul, and Ankara.
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Literature:
Sams, G. K. 2007. 'Gordion and the Phrygians', in The Mysterious Civilization of the Phrygians, eds. T. Tüfekçi-Sivas & H. Sivas, İstanbul.
Sams, G. K. 2012. 'Gordion, the Capital City of the Phrygians and its Buildings', in Phrygians, In the Land of Midas, In the Shadow of Monuments, eds. T. Tüfekçi-Sivas & H. Sivas, İstanbul.
Roller, L. E. 2012. 'Phrygian Religion and Cult Practice', in Phrygians, In the Land of Midas, In the Shadow of Monuments, eds. T. Tüfekçi-Sivas & H. Sivas, İstanbul.
Image sources:
penn.museum
G. K. Sams, 2007
L. E. Roller, 2012
G. K. Sams, 2012
Bora Bilgin, 2020