|
Gordium ((ギリシア語:Γόρδιον), ''Górdion''; (トルコ語:Gordiyon)) was the capital city of ancient Phrygia. It was located at the site of modern Yassıhüyük, about 70–80 km southwest of Ankara (capital of Turkey), in the immediate vicinity of Polatlı district. The site was excavated by Gustav Körte and Alfred Körte in 1900〔G. and A. Körte, ''Gordion: Ergebnisse der Ausgrabung im Jahre 1900. Jahrbuch des kaiserlich deutschen archäologischen Instituts'' V (Berlin, 1904).〕 and then by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, under the direction of Rodney S. Young, between 1950 and 1973.〔R.S. Young, ''Three Great Early Tumuli. The Gordion Excavations Final Reports, Volume 1'' (Philadelphia, 1981).〕 Excavations have continued at the site under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania Museum with an international team. Gordium lies where the ancient road between Lydia and Assyria/Babylonia crossed the Sangarius river. ==History== In the 12th century BC, Gordium was settled by Brygians who had migrated from southeastern Europe. During the 9th and 8th centuries BC, the city grew into the capital of a kingdom that controlled much of Asia Minor west of the river Halys. The kings of Phrygia built large tombs near Gordium called tumuli, which consist of artificial mounds constructed over burial chambers. There are about one hundred of them, covering both cremations and inhumations. In the 8th century, the lower city and the area to the north of the citadel was surrounded by a circuit wall with regularly spaced towers. The most famous king of Phrygia was the quasi-legendary Midas. Contemporary Assyrian sources dating between c. 718 and 709 BC call him ''Mit-ta-a''. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, King Midas was the first foreigner to make an offering at the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, dedicating the throne from which he gave judgment.〔''Histories'' (Herodotus) 1.14.〕 During his reign, according to Strabo, the nomadic Cimmerians invaded Asia Minor, and in 710/709, Midas was forced to ask for help from the Assyrian king Sargon II. In Strabo's account, King Midas committed suicide by drinking bull's blood when the Cimmerians overran the city.〔Strabo 1.3.21. L. Roller, "The Legend of Midas", ''Classical Antiquity'' 2(1983): 299–313.〕 Tumulus MM (for "Midas Mound"), the Great Tumulus, is the largest burial mound at Gordium, standing over 50 meters high today, with a diameter of about 300 meters. The tumulus was excavated in 1957 by Young's team, revealing the remains of the royal occupant, resting on purple and golden textiles in an open log coffin, surrounded by a vast array of magnificent objects. The burial goods included pottery and bronze vessels containing organic residues, bronze fibulae (ancient safety pins), leather belts with bronze attachments, and an extraordinary collection of carved and inlaid wooden furniture, exceptional for its state of preservation. The Tumulus MM funeral ceremony has been reconstructed, and scientists have determined that the guests at the banquet ate lamb or goat stew and drank a mixed fermented beverage.〔E. Simpson, “Midas’ Bed and a Royal Phrygian Funeral”, ''Journal of Field Archaeology'', 17(1990): 69–87.〕〔P. McGovern, D. Glusker, R. Moreau, A. Nuñez, C. Beck, E. Simpson, E. Butrym, L. Exner, and E. Stout, “A Funerary Feast Fit for King Midas”, ''Nature'' 402(1999): 863–864.〕 It is now generally assumed to be the tomb of Midas' father Gordias, and was probably the first monumental project of Midas after his accession. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gordium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|