Ancient Tomb in Turkey Reveals Elite Phrygian Burial,Possible Gift Exchange with Neighboring Kingdom
A recently excavated tomb in Turkey’s Phrygian Valley has yielded significant insights into the elite burial practices of the Phrygian civilization,dating back to around 700-600 BCE. The discovery, detailed in the journal Antiquity, suggests a high-status burial, though not necessarily royal, and hints at diplomatic relations through gift exchange with a neighboring kingdom.
The tomb, located at the Karaağaç Tumulus site, contained the remains of a single individual accompanied by a wealth of artifacts, including bronze vessels, ceramic jars, and notably, fragments of a situla – a ceremonial basin typically associated with the Kingdom of Urartu, located in modern-day Armenia and eastern Turkey.
[Image of archaeological excavation with ceramic jars and a bronze pot.Alt text: Several ceramic jars and a bronze pot being excavated on an archaeological site.Image credit: Hüseyin Erpehlivan]
The excavation team, led by Sencer Şahin of Istanbul University, believes the individual was a member of the Phrygian elite. The presence of the Urartian situla fragments is notably intriguing. While initially speculated to indicate a royal connection, experts suggest a more plausible description is that the situla was a diplomatic gift.
“The other suggested hypothesis for an elite gift exchange seems more plausible,” said Maya Vassileva, an archaeologist at New Bulgarian University in Sofia, who was not involved in the study, in an email to Live Science. She emphasized the Karaağaç tumulus is “very vital evidence” for an elite Phrygian burial far from Gordion, the past capital of Phrygia.
The situla fragments, along with other finely crafted ceramic vessels – including one inscribed with a Phrygian name – point to the wealth and status of the deceased. The location of the tomb, some distance from Gordion, suggests the existence of regional centers of power within the Phrygian kingdom.
The discovery sheds light on the complex political and cultural interactions between Phrygia and its neighbors during the Iron Age. Further research at the Karaağaç Tumulus promises to reveal more about the Phrygian civilization and its place in the ancient world.
Sources:
* Şahin, S., et al. “A Phrygian elite tomb with Urartian situla fragments from Karaağaç Tumulus.” Antiquity 97.385 (2023): 119-136. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.11
* Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/ancient-phrygian-tomb-urartu-gift
* New Bulgarian University – Maya Vassileva: https://bema-archaeologyprogram.nbu.bg/en/the-ma-program/faculty/maya-vassileva-associate-professor-ph-d-chair
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