Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:51 AM Sayfa
Gordion ruins. Seen at the front are such remnants as megarons and temples.
acropolis. Furniture worthy of a king’s abode was uncovered here and
excavators believe that the No.4 megaron adjacent to this house to have
been a temple. Next to these megarons are terrace structures measuring
more than 100 m. long. Consisting of eight megarons, there structures
must have belonged to the staff in the service of the royal family. There are
close to 100 graves piled up on top of each which belonged to the kings,
nobility and wealthy of Gordion. About 25 of these have been excavated to
date. The largest tumulus in Gordion is one that measures 53 m. high by
300 m. in diameter and supposedly belonged to King Midas.
Next to the 69 m. high tumulus of Alyattes in Sardis, this tumulus was
the second highest tumulus throughout Anatolia during ancient times.
Today, the grave chamber is entered via a 140 m. long tunnel. Measuring
5.15x6.20 m., this chamber is comprised of juniper and cedar logs stacked
on top of each other. There is an 80 cm. thick wall on the exterior of the
logs, whereas the grave was covered with stone and sealed with clay, then
buried in a huge mound of earth. It has been determined that the
skeletal remains found on the bed of the grave chamber belonged to
someone who lived to be 60 years old and had a short stature of 1.59 m.
Amongst the burial gifts which were uncovered in this chamber in
abundance were nine tables, three large bronze kettles, 166 small bronze
bowls as well as 154 hooked needles. These are all currently on display at
the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.
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