Gordion

Why it mattersPhrygian capital; Midas Tumulus oldest wood building; UNESCO 2023.

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

Built

c.3000 BCE

Period

EB to Medieval (c.3000 BCE–1200 CE; peak Phrygia 900–600 BCE)

Culture

Hittite → Phrygian (Midas) → Persian → Galatian → Roman

Builders

Phrygian kings (Midas/Gordios)

Purpose

Settlement and ceremonial centre

Abandoned

c.1200 CE

Rediscovered

1900 (Körte) / 1950 (Young)

Excavation

Excavated

1. c.740 BCE

   Midas Tumulus built (MM1) — timber chamber

2. c.800 BCE

   Citadel destruction burn (Cimmerian?) preserves timber

3. 1950

   Rodney Young finds Midas tomb intact

4. 2023

   UNESCO World Heritage inscribed (2780, criteria i,iii,iv)

• Midas Tumulus (MM1) Timber Chamber (c.740 BCE)

  tumulus

  53-m tumulus with intact cedar/juniper log chamber — oldest standing wooden building, bronze vessels

  39.6540° N · 31.9950° E

• Phrygian Citadel Gate and Terrace Complex

  fortification

  Phrygian ashlar gate with timber-laced mudbrick terrace and Early Phrygian ramp

  39.6503° N · 31.9902° E

• Outer Tumulus Field (100 mounds) and Destruction Level

  necropolis

  100 Phrygian tumuli and 800 BCE burn destruction with ivory furniture

  39.6494° N · 31.9895° E