Latest news with #TumulusT-26
Time of India
23-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Untouched 2,800-year-old tomb from King Midas' era discovered—here's what was found inside
Source: Canva In the heart of ancient Phrygia, beneath a mound of earth untouched for nearly three millennia, archaeologists have uncovered a royal tomb so pristine it's as though time itself stood still. Buried in silence since around 750 B.C., the tomb—dubbed Tumulus T-26—was found at the Gordion archaeological site, about 60 miles southwest of Ankara, Turkey. This is the same city that once served as the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, a place forever etched into legend as the domain of the fabled King Midas. The discovery, made after four intense months of excavation, is being hailed as one of the most significant archaeological finds in years—not just for its incredible preservation, but for what it reveals about ancient royal burial practices, family lineages, and long-lost customs of the 8th century B.C. A tomb of royal wealth, left untouched The burial chamber, hidden beneath the earth for nearly 2,800 years, has remained miraculously untouched by looters. Inside, researchers found bronze cauldrons, iron tools, and other high-value artifacts, all suggesting the burial belonged to someone of royal blood—very likely a member of Midas' own family. Credit: Facebook/Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı's post 'This tomb was located very close to the burial mound of King Midas' father,' said C. Brian Rose, an archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Gordion excavations, in a conversation with Fox News Digital. 'Royal tombs are often clustered together, and given its location and richness, it's reasonable to believe this individual was a close relative.' The body inside had been cremated, another significant find that offers insight into Phrygian burial rituals. The bronze vessels, Rose said, 'attest to a high level of wealth,' and would have likely been used during the funeral feast—a ceremonial meal to honor the deceased. What the ancient Phrygians ate at a funeral While the newly found cauldrons didn't contain any food residue, earlier discoveries at the same site provide clues about what was likely served. During the excavation of Midas' father's tomb in 740 B.C., researchers found remnants of a spicy stew made from lentils and barbecued sheep or goat, paired with a ceremonial drink blending grape wine, barley beer, and honey mead. 'That was a funeral feast,' Rose noted. 'It gives us a remarkably detailed glimpse into the culinary and ritualistic life of the Phrygian elite.' The T-26 tomb joins a growing list of extraordinary finds at Gordion. Another nearby burial site, Tumulus T-52, contained more than 3,000 amber beads, forming what Rose called 'one of the largest assemblages of amber found anywhere in the ancient world.' Scientific testing revealed that the amber originated in the Baltic region, pointing to extensive trade routes that connected the Phrygian kingdom with far-off lands. Credit: Facebook/Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı's post 'This is the kind of feature one would expect in a royal assemblage,' Rose added. Who was King Midas—legend vs. reality In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, Midas was the king of Phrygia, known less for his governance and more for the fantastical tale of the 'golden touch.' According to the myth, after showing hospitality to Silenus, a satyr companion of the god Dionysus, Midas was granted a wish. He asked that everything he touched turn to gold. At first delighted, Midas soon found his food, his drink, and even his daughter transformed into lifeless metal. Realizing the curse, he begged Dionysus to take the power away. The god instructed him to wash in the Pactolus River, and from that moment, the sands of the river were said to carry gold. Another tale tells of Midas judging a music contest between Apollo and Pan. When he ruled in favor of Pan, Apollo punished him by giving him the ears of a donkey. Ashamed, Midas wore a turban to hide them. But his barber, unable to keep the secret, whispered it into a hole in the ground. Reeds later grew from that spot—and when the wind blew through them, they whispered the truth to the world: 'Midas has ass's ears.' Though wrapped in myth, the recent discoveries at Gordion bring us closer to understanding the real world that inspired the legend—a world of power, trade, ritual, and royal splendor buried beneath centuries of soil, now seeing the light once again.
New York Post
23-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Secret tomb linked to King Midas discovered — and it's oozing ‘a high level of wealth': scientists
It was a real goldmine. Archaeologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old tomb in Turkey that is potentially connected to King Midas — and contains rare artifacts and cremated remains of a high-ranking individual. 'Based on these artifacts, we estimate that the person in the tomb chamber may be a member of the royal family associated with Gordion and Midas,' Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish minister of culture and tourism, announced at a news conference earlier this month, Live Science reported. Advertisement The excavations were carried out over four months by archaeologists with the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, PA and researchers with the Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, The blinged-out burial ground, which dates back to the 8th century B.C., was discovered 60 miles west of the Turkish capital of Ankara in Gordion, the ancient capital of the Phrygian kingdom. 4 The Gordion dig site. 'The person buried here was not an ordinary person,' according to Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. Penn Museum Advertisement This empire ruled over most of western and central Anatolia in the first millennium B.C, Fox News reported. Among the ancient civilization's most notable rulers was King Midas, who was depicted in Greek mythology as being able to turn anything he touched into gold — a parable against the dangers of unchecked greed. And while the real historical figure didn't literally gild items upon contact, he was likely no stranger to riches: There are reportedly 47 decadent burial mounds that have been excavated at Gordion. 4 An illustration showing the fictional King Midas accidentally turning his daughter to gold. Bettmann Archive Advertisement The latest one, Tumulus T-26, contained a wooden burial chamber brimming with a treasure trove of artifacts, including well-preserved iron tools and bronze implements. These 'attest to a high level of wealth,' according to C. Brian Rose, Gordion excavation co-director and an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania. 4 Researchers at the excavation site. Penn Museum Ersoy said they were the 'most concentrated group' of such artifacts after the hoard found in the previously-excavated Midas Mound, which contained a long coffin atop purple textiles that potentially housed a high-status official, possibly Midas' father Gordias. Advertisement In Tumulus T-26, archaeologists found cremated remains that were the oldest at the repository. 4 Aerial view of the ongoing excavations. Penn Museum 'What's really interesting is that it's a cremation burial,' said Rose, adding that 'this is the only example from the 8th century' at the site. This special treatment post-mortem 'clearly shows us that the person buried here was not an ordinary person,' according to Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. Another factor that suggests a relation to King Midas was the tomb's proximity to the one where the golden ruler's father was likely interred. 'Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family,' C. Brian Rose told Fox News. Also notable were a pair of bronze cauldrons that were used to serve food at a funeral feast. While there was no food residue on said containers, archaeologists did find some 'from the funeral ceremony of Midas' father in 740 BCE,' according to Rose. Advertisement 'We therefore know that they served a spicy lentil and barbecued sheep or goat stew that was washed down with an alcoholic beverage – a mixture of grape wine, barley beer and honey mead,' he said. Some even sported wax strips with the name of the owner, so these dishes could be easily found if they were put down. Despite excavating the Gordion repository for over 75 years, archaeologists have a long way to go before they finish excavating the myriad structures and settlements housed there.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
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.
