Excavating the Royal City of Midas

In September 2023, Gordion, Türkiye was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—the first site under active excavation by the Penn Museum to be added to the list. (Read the full story: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn...)

More than 70 years of archaeological excavations at Gordion have uncovered remarkable evidence of advancements in human history and have revealed that the fabled King Midas was an actual historical figure. The project has also uncovered a wealth of information about ancient construction techniques, defensive architecture, and cult practices of the Phrygians, as well as key developments in the economic life of the city.

In this lecture, Dr. C. Brian Rose, current director of the Gordion Archaeological Project, will share recent discoveries from the last two excavation seasons, including a monumental citadel gate from a likely palace of the Phrygian kings, and the shrine where it is believed that Alexander the Great cut the Gordian Knot.

C. Brian Rose, Ph.D., is the Ferry Curator-in-Charge of the Mediterranean Section and James B. Pritchard Professor of Mediterranean Archaeology at Penn. For 25 years he served as co-director of the excavations at Troy, and is now director of the Gordion excavations in central Türkiye. He has received awards such as the Rome Prize of the American Academy in Rome, the Berlin Prize of the American Academy in Berlin, and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Join us online for our flagship virtual lecture series featuring the Penn Museum’s leading researchers and experts. You’ll hear firsthand accounts from the forefront of archaeological exploration around the globe. See the line up here: https://www.penn.museum/events/archae...