King Midas' Tomb

Back Up Next

We've stopped in Gordion to see the tomb of King Midas.  Yes, that King Midas.

This is the entrance to the tumulus, or burial mound.  There are similar mounds throughout the area, most of which have not yet been excavated.

And that's the chamber in which King Midas was buried.  The tomb wasn't disturbed by grave robbers because, believe it or not, he wasn't buried with any gold.

Nothing in there now.  All the pottery and such has been taken to the Anatolian Museum in Ankara.

Just an ancient hole in the ground.

And across the street we found a museum that was closed, but Mete knew the caretaker and he let us in anyway.  The Gordion Museum was established in 1963, and has been nominated for several awards over the years.  It displays Bronze Age, Hittite, Hellenistic, Greek and Roman finds, but its displays concentrate on the Phrygian period and feature many superbly crafted artifacts.

Like these.

And these. 

That's a model of the burial chamber in the tumulus across the street.  The head is a model, sculpted around the skull of the man who was buried there.  Is that what King Midas really looked like?  Hard to say.  Besides, when you get past the stories of King Midas that they tell at this place, you learn that the tumulus really is too old for the real King Midas to have been buried there.  Too bad.

Back Up Next

Hit Counter