Archeologists uncover royal tomb tied to the real King Midas
King Midas is the stuff of legend. Ancient Greek tales tell of a Phrygian ruler granted the power to turn everything he touched into gold. No monarch ever actually possessed a divine touch (or donkey ears), but historical records indicate at least two men with the name Midas oversaw the Phrygian kingdom during the first millennium BCE.
In 1957, archeologists discovered a royal tomb (also known as a tumulus) at the site of Gordion, Phrygia's ancient capital located about 60 miles southwest of Ankara, Turkey. Analysis later showed the grave dated to around 740 BCE and held the remains of a man believed to be the father of the first King Midas. Years of subsequent excavations at Gordion have yielded remarkable finds, including the oldest known standing wooden building, the earliest colored stone mosaics, and even a gilded ivory sphinx royal statue.
According to Penn Museum researchers in collaboration with the Turkish government, archeologists have found yet another stunningly preserved royal tomb chamber dating to around 750 BCE. And like the one uncovered nearly 70 years ago, this tumulus may have ties to Midas himself—and could revise our understanding of the kingdom's ancient burial practices.
In 2024, researchers, including archeologist Yücel Şenyurt from Ankara's Haci Bayram Veli University, located the latest of the 130 mounds surrounding the Gordion citadel by using remote sensing magnetic prospection equipment. The team then spent four months excavating a massive 21-foot-tall by 196-foot-wide wooden burial chamber.
Designated Tumulus T-26, the space remained impressively well-preserved for thousands of years despite a collapsed roof, and shows no signs of grave robbing. Objects inside the tumulus included a number of relics associated with royal banquets such as bronze cauldrons, jugs, and bowls, as well as additional iron tools. These items were frequently used to serve food and wine during funeral feasts, with many of the vessels still possessing traces of adhering textiles—an artisanal flourish associated with luxury crafting.
Arguably the most striking discovery at T-26 was its interred remains. Instead of skeletal fragments, archeologists found evidence of cremation—a process believed to have popularized at Gordion over a 100 years later.
'The excavation of these tumuli has yielded a wealth of information about the lives of Gordion's rulers and their associates,' C. Brian Rose, Gordion Excavation Director and Curator-in-Charge of the Penn Museum's Mediterranean Section, said in a statement. '… [W]e now know that cremation among the elite was practiced over a century earlier than we thought it was. Moreover, the traces of textiles on the vessels provide evidence for one of Gordion's most important industries.'
It's still unclear if Tumulus T-26 belonged to King Midas himself. But even without a solid gold tomb, its dating and proximity at the very least strongly suggests a direct link to his dynasty.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued by Conical Skull Found in Ancient Burial Ground
Archaeologists in Iran have discovered an ancient cone-shaped skull that is believed to have belonged to a teen girl — and there are signs of tragedy in her bones. As Live Science reports, the skull, which was found in a prehistoric burial ground known as Chega Sofla without its corresponding skeleton, shows signs not only of intentional modification, but also possibly fatal blunt force trauma. Dated to roughly 6,200 years old, the strange cone shape of the skull appears to be the product of a practice archaeologists today call artificial cranial modification, a process similar to foot-binding in which the soft skulls of children are bandaged to deliberately deform them. Found across cultures and millennia, this type of body modification has been undertaken for various reasons, including to denote social status or adhere to beauty standards, as evidenced by it more often being seen in girls than boys. Though it's still occasionally practiced today, the practice sometimes referred to as "skull elongation" was far more common in prehistoric times. The girl with the conical skull in this study, for instance, was believed to have lived in the fifth millennium BCE. Aside from the cone-shaped cranium of the young woman, who was believed to be younger than the age of 20, archaeologists Mahdi Alirezazadeh and Hamed Vahdati Nasab of the Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran — who also authored a study about their discovery that was recently published in the International Journal of Osteoarcheology — also found a long, unhealed fracture on the back of the skull that likely killed her. "We know this woman experienced the fracture in the final moments of her life," Alirezazadeh told Live Science, "but we don't have any direct evidence to say that someone intentionally struck her." Though it's unclear whether the ancient teen in question was intentionally killed or died by accident, the researchers believe that the modified shape of her skull likely made it weaker and more susceptible to trauma than a conventional cranium. Along with pointing out that an unmodified fractured skull was found alongside the conical skull in the portion of Chega Sofia where they were working, Alirezazadeh also noted that whatever killed the latter "was so severe that it would have fractured a normal, unmodified skull as well." More on head science: Scientists Want You to Ink an Electronic Tattoo On Your Forehead So Your Boss Can Detect Your Mental State
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
‘Spectacular' temple dedicated to Ancient Greek God uncovered by archaeologists: 2,700-year-old treasures found
Archaeologists have unearthed a 'spectacular' ancient temple housing hundreds of statues dedicated to the Greek God Apollo. The site, known as the Sanctuary of Apollo, is located in a remote valley in Cyprus, and the uncovered artifacts are believed to date back 2,700 years. A team of German experts initially began excavating in the area in 2021, with the finds of their four-year dig disclosed in a statement from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities. '[The sanctuary] was furnished with a lavish abundance of votive statues numbering in the hundreds, some of which were of colossal dimensions,' the statement, translated from Greek to English, read. 'In addition, evidence of other previously unknown types of votive objects was also found, such as marbled glass beads or Egyptian amulets made of faience [tin-glazed pottery].' The site, known as the Sanctuary of Apollo, is located in a remote valley in Cyprus, and the uncovered artifacts are believed to date back 2,700 years. Department of Antiquities Cyprus Three ancient statues from the Apollo sanctuary at Frangissa. Department of Antiquities Cyprus Apollo, the Greek god of archery and the son of Zeus, was a prominent deity in ancient Greek and Roman mythology. The Sanctuary of Apollo was first discovered by German archaeologist Max Ohnefalsch-Richter in 1885, and was 'considered one of the most spectacular finds of its time.' However, following his 'inadequate' excavations, Ohnefalsch-Richter reburied the site, causing its precise whereabouts to be forgotten for over a century. In 2021, the new team of German archaeologists rediscovered the long-lost temple in the remote valley of Frangrissa, near the ancient city-kingdom of Tamassos. After conducting a more extensive examination of the site, they uncovered treasures that were initially overlooked, including fragments of colossal statues, parts of which appeared to be feet. 'Apparently in 1885 [the votive statues] were not recognized as artifacts in the rush,' the new statement from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities declared. Thus, the new finds 'fundamentally expand our knowledge of this sacred place.' 'Μany statues in the Cyprus Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum at Toronto can be completed with newly found fragments and thus restored to their original appearance,' the statement continued. 'Completely new types of statues have also been documented that were previously unknown from Frangissa. The discovery of clearly larger-than-life feet, for example, means that the existence of colossal male limestone figures from archaic times can now be proven.' 'Such larger-than-life figures were previously only known here in Frangissa made from terracotta, including the famous 'Colossus of Tamassos' in the Cyprus Museum exhibition.' Meanwhile, the discovery of two inscriptions on the bases of the figures dates them to the 6th and 7th centuries BC. 'The discovery of two bases with inscriptions is spectacular,' the statement read. 'One is inscribed with several local Cypro-Syllabic characters, while the other refers in Greek letters to the Ptolemies, the Hellenistic rulers of Egypt who also controlled Cyprus at the time.'
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Archeologists discover 2,500-year-old Midas dynasty tomb in Turkey
A 2,500-year-old royal tomb has been discovered by archeologists at the site of an ancient city in Turkey. After four months of excavations, Penn Museum and Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University archeologists discovered a well-preserved royal tomb chamber that dates back to 8th century BCE (800 to 701 BCE). The tomb's roof was collapsed, but objects inside remained intact, including bronze vessels used during banquets, iron rods, a pair of large bronze cauldrons and assorted smaller bronze cauldrons, jugs and bowls, according to a news release. The tomb was discovered at the archeological site of Gordion, the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled much of Asia Minor during the first millennium BCE, Gordion Excavation Director C. Brian Rose said in a news release. Gordion is located in northwest Turkey, about 60 miles southwest of Turkey's capital Ankara. At one time, Gordion was ruled by King Midas, famously known for his "golden touch." Archeologists believe that the newly-discovered tomb may have belonged to a member of the Midas dynasty. Iron Age archaeological find: British 'bling' from 2,000 years ago included horse harnesses Archeologists used magnetic prospection technology to find the tomb, a news release states. This geophysical method uses variations in Earth's magnetic field to identify objects below the surface, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To archeologists' surprise, the tomb indicated a cremated burial. Up until this latest excavation, researchers believed the first cremation to occur in Gordion was more than 100 years later. Vessels inside the tomb also featured textiles adhered to their exterior, which indicate that textiles were an important industry in Gordion, Rose said in a news release. 3,000-year-old Mayan city unearthed: Why it's named 'The Grandparents' The tomb was located near and appeared like the Midas Mound tomb, which is believed to have housed the body of King Midas' father. The Gordion site has proved fruitful for archeologists for 75 years, since Penn Museum began leading excavations there in 1950. Previous excavations included the oldest wooden building in the world, dating back to 740 BCE. Others include the earliest colored stone mosaics found in Gordion, the best-preserved citadel gate of the first millennium and a gilded ivory sphinx of the 6th century BCE, according to a news release.
