Thursday, June 28, 2007
I took another trip to Gordion, to see King Midas´s tomb. I actually first went to Pilotli - only 3.50 US dollars for an hour bus ride - and then on to Gordion. Midas, as you recall, was very greedy and wished that everything he touched turned to gold. Well, he got his wish, but then even his food and daughter turned to gold. He asked the gods to take his wish back, and they pitied him and told him to swim in a local river. Supposedly the sand along the river once contained gold - Midas´s gold.
Anyway, there is some question if this is THE Midas, since many kings of Gordion took the same name - maybe this is only his son or something. The tomb is entirely man-made. There are about 100 of these in the area, but this is by far the largest. They put Midas in a tomb, and then began piling dirt on him. And piled. And piled. It is amazing to think how much effort this must have taken 2500 years ago or so. Around 60 years ago some American archeologists tunneled straight into the burial mound and found the tomb. The tunnel has been reinforced, and trees added. It still boggles my mind that they created this hill on flat desert-like ground.
Anyway, there is some question if this is THE Midas, since many kings of Gordion took the same name - maybe this is only his son or something. The tomb is entirely man-made. There are about 100 of these in the area, but this is by far the largest. They put Midas in a tomb, and then began piling dirt on him. And piled. And piled. It is amazing to think how much effort this must have taken 2500 years ago or so. Around 60 years ago some American archeologists tunneled straight into the burial mound and found the tomb. The tunnel has been reinforced, and trees added. It still boggles my mind that they created this hill on flat desert-like ground.
# posted by Michael Strich @ 9:27 AM 
