The Phrygians in Turkey (750 – 650 BC)

This article is one in the Cultural History of Turkey series. For the description of any cultures or tribes please read that article.

Not much is known about the Phrygians. They were one of the tribes that migrated to Asia Minor from the Balkans after the destruction of Troia VIIb, circa 1190 BC. However their civilization and the Phrygian kingdom did not appear in history until 750 BC. Although they were an Indo-European people they adapted well into their new homeland and became part of the Asia Minor1 culture.

So far only two of the Phrygian kings are known. The first one was Gordios and the second one was his son Midas. Gordios founded the Phrygian kingdom and the city of Gordion2, which became the kingdom’s capital. Gordion is situated where the Persian “Royal Road” of the Achaemenids crosses Sangarius (Sakarya)3 River, which, according to mythology, gets its name from the River-God of Phrygia and central Bithynia. The Phrygians settled in the Sakarya (Sangarius) valley, which is surrounded by the cities Akroinon4, Kotiaion5, and Dorylaeum6. In the chronicles of Eusebius King Midas was mentioned twice, first rising to the throne in 738 BC and second his suicide by drinking bull’s blood in 695 BC possibly after the attacks by Cimmerians in circa 695 BC. Midas was also mentioned in the Assyrian records. King Sargon in his chronicles mentioned him first in 717 BC and second in 709 BC. He was known as Mita, the king of the Mushki in the Assyrian records. The Phrygian kingdom survived for a while after the death of its king Midas. However, it disappeared from history in circa 650 BC, presumably after subsequent Cimmerian attacks. According to another view though the weakened Phrygian kingdom had lost its sovereignty to the kingdom of Lydia. Finally, it is annexed into the Persian Empire in 550 BC. Alexander the Great stopped by in Gordion (333 BC, please see below) during his military campaign against the Persian king.

Initially the Phrygians during their migration from the Balkans moved all the way down to south eastern Anatolia. However, when they lost their strength they moved back towards Dorylaeum and Akroinon and moved their capital to Gordion away from the Assyrian threat.

The Phrygians developed a very high civilization. As opposed to the Hittites, writing was common outside the royal family (outside palace). The art and architecture were also highly developed. The Phrygian art was influenced by the Hittite and Hellene cultures but also had developed its own authentic character.

In architecture they were mostly influenced by the western civilizations, carrying the Balkan and Hellene features. The Phrygians built fortified cities, public buildings, and monumental graves (tumuli)7. There are 100 known tumuli, out of which 25 of them were excavated. Their towns were typical in Anatolia, rectangular in the megaron style. However, they are known as the first people who cover the floor of the houses with mosaic. Tumulus is basically a grave. The burial chamber is built with wood. A mound is built on top of this structure by piling rubble and stones, and covering with soil or clay. The tumulus that belonged to the king Midas is the tallest and widest, hence the most impressive one, with a height of 50 m (164 feet) and a diameter of 300 m (984 feet). The grave chamber in Midas’ tumulus had a double-sloping roof style.

The Phrygians, like the Urartians, were highly skilled in metallurgy, woodwork, and ivory carving. Excavations in the Phrygian territories unearthed various artifacts, such as furniture components, lion, bull, griffin-shaped wood toys, chariot-shaped bronze toys, and terracotta vessels. Among found were also mugs, jugs, mixing bowls, omphalos bowls8, buckets, and cauldrons, in addition to dress pins9, statuettes, statues, reliefs, and frescoes. The main deity of the Phrygians was the goddess Cybele, who might be related to Kubaba in the Hittite pantheon.

According one view the Phrygians alphabet was a modified version of the Greek alphabet. However, there seems to be some disagreement on this issue. Another view is that the Phrygians developed their own writing possibly based on the Phoenician model.

The Phrygians are known for their legends, not necessarily of their own creation. According to one legend, originally being a poor peasant, Gordios ties his oxcart with a knot in the middle of the town and declares that whoever is able to untie this knot (Gordian knot) will rule rich Asia. The Macedonian, Alexander, the great, in his quest to conquer Asia and own the riches of the far East and India comes across this knot during his stay in Gordion before a war with the Persian empire. When he was told the legend he tries to untie it but was not successful so being a soldier he withdraws his sword and slices it into two halves in his frustration and anger. According to one theory this legend is created by the Greeks to tell that Alexander, The great is destined to conquer highly envied East.

Another legend is a funny story. Midas does not obey his gods and is punished by them for his crime by giving him donkey ears. He hides his donkey ears from everyone except his barber since he has to have a hair cut. His barber, from fear, cannot tell anybody what he witnessed so he digs a whole and whispers into it and then covers it with soil. As the time passes straw grows in this pit and as the wind blows straws, they leak the secret of the king Midas. Eventually everyone in the town learns that Midas has donkey ears.

The Phrygian king Midas was a subject to another legend in the Hellene Mythology. According to this legend anything the King Midas touches was turning to gold10. Midas, to get rid of this magical power, takes a bath in Pactolus river11 near Sardis12 according to wishes of the god Dionysus13 and the magical power is passed to the river. Since then gold nuggets were found in the banks of the Pactolus river.

Sources

  1. “The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations,”, prepared by members of staff at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey.
  2. Akurgal, Ekrem, “Anadolu Kültür Tarihi,” TÜBİTAK Popüler Bilim Kitaplari, April 2008, ISBN 978-975-403-107-2
  3. Hornblower, Simon (Editor) and Spawforth, Antony (Editor), “The Oxford Classical Dictionary,” Third Edition. p642, Oxford University Press.
  4. Sangarius_(mythology)
  5. Saggarios
  6. Sander, Oral, “The Complexity of the Process of Civilization,” Ancient Anatolia as a Case in Point, The Turkish Yearbook [vol. XVII], Dergiler, Ankara.
  7. Roller, Lynn E., “The Art of Writing at Gordion”, Expedition, Vol. 31, No 1, p 54-61.
  8. Hunter, Erica, “Anatolia before the Greeks,” University of Cambridge.

Further Reading

  1. Burke, Brendan, Anatolian Origins of the Gordian Knot Legend, American School of Classical Studies, 54 Souidias, GR 106 76 Athens, Greece, bburke@ascsa.edu.gr.
  2. Burke, Brendan, II Interpreting the Finds From Gordion, Textile Production at Gordion, and the Phrygian Economy.
  3. Rives, J.B, Phrygian TalesProgramme in Classical Studies, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3 Canada, jrives@yorku.ca, April, 2005.
  4. Young, Rodney S., “The Gordion Tomb,” Fall 1958, Expedition.

This article is one in the Cultural History of Turkey series. For the description of any cultures or tribes please read that article.