ICCROM Mora Samples Collection
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MRA-TUR-Yas003

Type Sample Item

Sample ID

MRA-TUR-Yas003

Dimensions (cm)

Length
2.5
Width
2.2
Height
0.5

Weight

weight value (g)
2.44

Geographic Location

Detailed location not available
no

Historical note about the site/monument

Located at the site of present-day Yassıhüyük, Gordion served as the capital of ancient Phrygia.  Sites dating to this period (prior to massive cultural shifts inaugurated by the arrival of Alexander in 333 BC) include over 100 tumuli from the 9th to 6th centuries BC as well as fortifications and a citadel mound. Of the tumuli, the largest is the so-called Tumulus MM (“Midas Mound”). Excavations of this tumulus in the 1950s revealed riches comporting with the impressive scale of the burial, among which were well-preserved carved wooden furniture, textiles, and ceramics, possibly once holding oils or unguents. The citadel mound likewise occupies a distinguished position among archeological sites of its kind because its original gates are still preserved to an impressive height of ten meters. At present, excavation and conservation continues apace, mostly concentrated on the Citadel Mound and defensive structures of Phrygian Gordion.

 

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordion

https://www.penn.museum/sites/gordion/

 

Further reading:

Sams, G. K. (1994). The Gordion Excavations, 1950-1973, Final Reports, Volume IV: The Early Phrygian Pottery (Vol. 79). UPenn Museum of Archaeology.

 

Voigt, M. M. (2000). Gordion: the rise and fall of an Iron Age capital. Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research57, 187-196.

 

Dusinberre, E. (2005). Gordion seals and sealings: Individuals and society (Vol. 3). UPenn Museum of Archaeology.

Date of sampling

Unknown
Yes

Photos/Documents (provenance)

Description
1. Megaron pebble mosaic at the Gordion Museum (photo by Carole Raddato, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gordion%27s_Megaron_pebble_mosaic_05.jpg / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Description
2. Architectural remains at Gordion (photo by Stipich Bela, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_of_Gordion_3.JPG / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Support

Good (sample can be handled)

Finishing Layers

Good (sample can be handled)

Inventory