Yazılıkaya/Midas Fortress in Central Anatolia, situated amidst towering
cliffs and deep valleys,... more Yazılıkaya/Midas Fortress in Central Anatolia, situated amidst towering
cliffs and deep valleys, encircled by fortifications hewn from volcanic rock,
represents the most significant sacred settlement of the Phrygian Civilization.
The unique rock monuments on the plateau serve as critical tangible evidence
illuminating Phrygian religious practices. Recent excavations were conducted
in the vicinity of the monumental Phrygian rock-cut altar, located to the west
of the acropolis. This area is referred to as the Agdistis Sanctuary due to the
inscribed votive steles from the Roman Period previously uncovered here. These
excavations have yielded vital insights into the organization of ritual activities
performed directly in front of the rock-cut altar. This paper aims to evaluate the
architectural features unearthed for the first time through extensive excavations
at this Phrygian rock-cut altar, in light of archaeological and anthropological
findings, and to elucidate the usage of this space for ritual preparations.
Arkeolojik alanlarda yapılan kazılar ile elde edilen arkeolojik verilerin bir araya toplanmasında... more Arkeolojik alanlarda yapılan kazılar ile elde edilen arkeolojik verilerin bir araya toplanmasında, işlenmesinde, belgelenmesinde ve elde edilen sonuçların sunumunda yeni teknolojilerin kullanımı yaygınlaşmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Eskişehir ili Han ilçesi Yazılıkaya Mahallesi'nde bulunan Yazılıkaya/Midas Kale Arkeolojik Kazısında, alanda ve kazı yapılan bölümlerde 3B modelleme, Ortofoto, CBS uygulamaları yapılarak kazı sonucu elde edilen buluntuların değerlendirilmesi ile karşılaştırılmasında yeni teknolojiler yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmalar sonucunda, alana ve arkeolojik materyallere farklı perspektiflerden yaklaşılarak ayrıntılı görüntüler elde edilmiş, alanın bütünsel olarak algılanmasına ve arkeolojik alan ile buluntu çalışmalarının mümkün olduğunca yüksek hassasiyetle analiz edilmesine olanak sağlanmıştır. Aynı zamanda elde edilen görüntüler vektörel çizime dönüştürülerek arkeolojik alan tanım ve karşılaştırmalarda kullanılmıştır. Kale'de yürütülen kazı süreci ve sonrasında ofis ortamında gerçekleştirilen çalışmaların süresini kısaltması ve iş yükünü hafifletmesi, bu uygulamaların kullanılmasını ve yaygınlaşmasını teşvik etmektedir. Bu belgeleme çalışmalarının sonuçları, 71 yılın ardından 2022 yılında tekrar başlatılan Yazılıkaya/Midas Kale kazılarında ilk defa ortaya çıkartılan arkeolojik küçük buluntu ve mimari buluntular üzerinde uygulanarak sunulacaktır.
Ägyptische Kulte und ihre Heiligtümer im Osten des Römischen Reiches (2005) BYZAS 2 Clemens Licht... more Ägyptische Kulte und ihre Heiligtümer im Osten des Römischen Reiches (2005) BYZAS 2 Clemens Lichter (ed.) How Did Farming Reach Europe? Anatolian-European relations from the second half of the 7 th through the first half of the 6 th millennium cal BC.
GAZİANTEP UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, 2020
Günümüzde arkeolojik alanlarda yapılan yüzey araştırmaları ve kazılar sonucunda elde edilen veril... more Günümüzde arkeolojik alanlarda yapılan yüzey araştırmaları ve kazılar sonucunda elde edilen verilerin bir araya getirilmesinde, verilerin işlenmesinde, belgelenmesinde ve tüm bu çalışmalardan elde edilen sonuçların sunumunda, teknolojinin kullanımı gittikçe yaygınlaşmaktadır. Uygulama yapılan alanların 3B modellenmesi ve 360 derece panoramik görüntü ile sunumunda, çalışma yapılan alanlara hareket kabiliyeti kazandırılmaktadır. Böylece alana, özelden genele, genelden özele doğru farklı perspektiflerden yaklaşılarak, ayrıntılı görüntüler elde edilmekte, alanın bütünsel olarak algılanmasına, arkeolojik alan çalışmalarının mümkün olduğunca yüksek hassasiyetli analiz edilmesine, aynı zamanda elde edilen görüntülerin turizm amaçlı olarak kullanılmasına da olanak sağlanmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, koordinatlı hava fotoğrafları kullanılarak Eskişehir İli, Han İlçesinin kuzeybatısında Yazılıkaya Köyü sınırları içerisinde bulunan Yazılıkaya/Midas Kale'nin ve tüm vadinin üç boyutlu görüntüleri elde edilmiştir. Aynı zamanda Yazılıkaya Vadisi'nin panoramik görüntüsü oluşturularak vadi içerisinde bulunan kaleler ile birlikte incelenmesi ve topoğrafyanın bütüncül olarak anlaşılırlığı sağlanmıştır. Elde edilen görüntüler üzerine arkeolojik veriler eklenerek, alanda yapılan tüm çalışmalar web ortamında açık erişime açılmıştır. Bu makalede, vadi genelinde uygulanan tüm aşamalarda izlenen yöntemlerin açıklamaları yapılmış, arkeolojik kazılarda 3B modeller ve 360 derece panoramik görüntüler üretmek için gerekli işlemler ve kullanım alanları anlatılmıştır.
The topic of this project is the Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument located in the area
called the ‘Phrygi... more The topic of this project is the Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument located in the area called the ‘Phrygian Valley’, named due to the fact that although the region has been home to continuous settlement from the Lower Paleolithic Period to today thanks to its location and fertile lands, its most important archeologic artifacts belong to the Phrygian Period. Having adopted a belief in the Mother Goddess, which has deep roots in Anatolia stretching back thousands of years, the Phrygians built cultic monuments in the name of the goddess which they called ‘Matar’ for use in rituals concerning fertility, abundance, and protection. These monuments were comprised of small and monumental-sized monuments, altars, and niches built at the entrance to settlements, in high places, near sources of water and at the edge of fields, and sometimes at the entrance to fortresses using the easily carved bedrock found in nature. The Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument is one of the most distinctive examples of these cultic monuments. Having remained standing for over 3000 years, the Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument has been subjected to general wear, deformations, and structural weakening on its journey to the modern day. In this project we’ve reviewed the deformations present on the Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument, which, located in the Yazılıkaya Valley, is known as the most magnificent of all Phrygian stone monuments, in addition to addressing the conservation-restoration projects that have been carried out as well as conservation proposals necessary in preserving the monument for future generations.
Nakoleia Territoryumunda Eski Phrygce Yazıtlı Idol Şeklinde Bir Stel
Öz
Eskişehir İli Seyitgazi v... more Nakoleia Territoryumunda Eski Phrygce Yazıtlı Idol Şeklinde Bir Stel Öz Eskişehir İli Seyitgazi ve Han ilçelerinde gerçekleştirdiğimiz yüzey araştırmalarında, 2019 yılında Eskişehir İli, Seyitgazi İlçesi’nin 15 km doğusunda, Gümüşbel Köyü’nün 1 km güneydoğusundaki Eski Cami Höyük (eski adı Hüsnüabad, Ma Başı) ziyaret edilmiştir. Üzerinde İslam Dönemi’ne ait bir mezarlık bulunan höyüğün korunduğu kadarıyla çapı 180 m, yüksekliği ise 3,5 m’dir. Bu ziyaret sırasında, höyüğün üzerinde ve eteklerinde, Son Kalkolitik Çağ, İlk Tunç Çağı 2-3, Klasik Dönem ve MÖ 8. yy’a tarihlenen Demirçağ seramikleri saptanmıştır. Höyüğün güneydoğu eteğinde ise tüf taşından yapılmış, üzerinde Eski Phrygce yazıtlı idol şeklinde bir stel bulunmuştur. Bu makalede Eski Phrygce yazıtlı idol şeklindeki stel tanıtılmakla birlikte, bu stelin Phryg ikonografisi ve dilbilimi için önemi tartışılmaktadır. İdol şeklinde betimlenmiş tüf blok üzerine kazıma şeklinde yapılmış olan üç baş ve uzun gövdeler (?) Ana Tanrıça ve birlikte ona eşlik eden tanrılarla birlikte gösterilmiş olduğuna işaret etmektedir. Başlardan ikisi yan yana yapılmış ve çift sıra kazıma çizgi ile sınırlandırılmış, diğer üçüncü baş da bu iki başın tam ortasına, iki başı sınırlandıran ve ortada buluşan çift sıra çizginin kesiştiği noktaya yapılmıştır. Stel üzerinde, başların üst kısmında bir satır, başların altında ise üç satır Eski Phrygce yazıt bulunur. Yazıttan anlaşıldığı üzere idol şeklindeki stel muhtemelen bir sınır taşı olarak kullanılmıştır. Yazıtın tercümesi şu şekilde olmalıdır: “Atas. Benim anıtım bir sınır taşıdır”. . An Idol-shaped Stele with an Old Phrygian Inscription in The Territory of Nakoleia Abstract During the archaeological surveys conducted in Seyitgazi and Han Districts of Eskişehir Province in 2019, we have visited Eski Cami Höyük (formerly known as Hüsnüabad) which is located 1 km southeast of Gümüşbel Village, 15 km east of Seyitgazi District in Eskişehir Province. The mound is under a cemetery from the Islamic Period and has a preserved diameter of 180 m with a 3.5 m height. During this visit, Iron Age ceramics were identified on the mound and its skirts, dating to the Late Chalcolithic Age, the Early Bronze Age 2-3, the Classical Period, and the 8th Century BC. On the south-eastern skirt of the mound, an idol-shaped stele with an Old Phrygian inscription was found. In this article, we describe the newly found stele and the inscription and discuss its importance for the Phrygian iconography and linguistics. Three heads and a long body (?) engraved on the idol-shaped tufa block may signify the Mother Goddess together with the gods that accompany her. Two of the heads were made right next to each other and are bordered by a double engraved line. The third head was placed between the other two, made at the point where the double engraved lines that border the two heads meet in the middle. On the stele, there is one line of an Old Phrygian inscription above the heads and three lines just under them. It follows from the inscription that the idol was probably used as a boundary stone.112 The clear part of the inscription can be translated as follows: “Atas. My monument is a boundary stone.”
In addition to their capital city Gordion, the most noteworthy region of the Phrygians is found t... more In addition to their capital city Gordion, the most noteworthy region of the Phrygians is found to the south and southwest of the area known as “The Highlands of Phrygia”, located between the modern-day provinces of Eskisehir, Kütahya, and Afyonkarahisar and home to many cult monuments, fortress-like settlements, and roc-cut tombs. The Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley in particular, located within the Seyitgazi district 70 km south of the city of Eskişehir, harbors a large amount of Phrygian period cult monuments built in honor of the mother goddess “Matar Kubileya”, constructed in harmony with nature and containing physical reflections of Phrygian religious architecture. In addition to the Gods and Goddesses being portrayed anthropomorphically, or ascribing human form, in Phrygian art, idols of simply schematized imagery were also interpreted as abstract representations of these deities. The Yazılıkaya/Midas Kale located in the Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley is home to a higher concentration of these idols carved into natural stone than any other area. The subject of this paper is the stone idol identified during 2018 surface survey carried out in the Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley on a single rock block located in the area known as “Harlık”, 3600 meters from the village of Yazılıkaya.
The Phrygians, who are believed to have immigrated to Anatolia from Macedonia and Thrace in a few... more The Phrygians, who are believed to have immigrated to Anatolia from Macedonia and Thrace in a few waves beginning at the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, became a Central Anatolian politic power in the 9th century BCE. The area in the Upper Sakarya Valley between Eskisehir, Afyonkarahisar, and Kütahya where the Phrygians held the most political and cultural influence is the Mountainous Phrygia Region known as “Little Phrygia” during the Classical Period. The area known as Mountainous Phrygia is home to rough terrain with a defensive advantage surrounded by large, fertile plains suitable for agriculture. The region’s southern and southeastern areas are home to elevated ridges separated by deep valleys. These valleys are surrounded by plateaus and low mountains comprised of easily-carved, volcanic tufa. This area was continuous inhabited throughout the ages thanks to its abundance of wetlands and defensively strategic topography. In addition to its political and cultural importance, this is a region, with 24 currently known Phrygian fortress settlements dating to between the 8th century BCE and the first half of the 6th century BCE, in which interpreting the Phrygian’s defense system and strategies is possible. With its fortress settlements nearly lined up one after another, this place is the Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley located south of Eskisehir within the borders of Mountainous Phrygia. In addition to the information gathered since the 19th century by researchers and travelers to the region, research carried out in the region has shown that this valley in Mountainous Phrygia is home to extensive numbers of Phrygian settlements and stone monuments built in honor of the mother goddess Matar. The Midas Fortress is located 30 km south of Eskisehir’s Seyitgazi District, 13.5 km northwest of the Han District, and 75 km from Eskisehir itself. Positioned on top of the rockwork southwest of Yazılıkaya Village, the Yazılıkaya/Midas Fortress has been referred to as ‘Midas City’ by some researchers. The Phrygians built numerous cultic monuments consisting of facades, altars, and niches where they would worship the Mother Goddess Matar into the rockwork, hillsides, and anywhere with suitable rock composition. Cisterns, both small and monumental, water collection pools, and vaulted gateways are also present in this settlement. The area is surrounded by rock-cut tombs and residences dating to the Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Periods. Adorned with cultic structures, this settlement appears to be a kind of regional sanctuary. The only fortress settlement in the valley to have been excavated in definite intervals is the Yazılıkaya /Midas Fortress. In 1936, Director of the Istanbul French Archeology Institute, Art Historian and Architect A. Gabriel began the first excavations on behalf of the French Archeology Institute. In addition to a small amount of ceramic sherds dated to the Early Bronze Age, artifacts dating to the 2nd century BCE and the Phrygian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods were discovered during the short-lived excavations of at the fortress. Whether considering the short-lived excavations carried out at the fortress or the artifacts recovered during newly performed surveys, the structural foundations belonging to the settlement and the stone monuments seen on site indicate that the Midas Fortress was a significant settlement during the Middle Phrygian Period. Another reason for the high number of fortresses in the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley is the presence of large scale monuments (façade, altar, and niches) carved into the tufa located in this valley. The Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley was an important settlement area for the Phrygian Civilization, the City at Yazılıkaya-Midas a religious metropolis. For this reason, the Phrygians constructed fortresses using the natural rockwork on the rocky hilltops above transit points in order to strengthen their defensive formation and protect their holy sanctuaries. The fortresses in the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley are separated by an average distance of 1.5 km. The Kocabaş Fortress is located 2000m east of the Yazılıkaya-Midas Fortress. It’s rocky, tree-covered, makeshift construction gives the impression of a less than defensively strong fortress. However, when viewed from the east, the fortress’s steepening cliff-side reaches a height of 64m and appears quite formidable. This Fortress served as a preliminary patrol to the Pişmiş Fortress. It also constituted the mountainous region’s northern border. Pişmiş Fortress is found 1500m northeast of the Yazılıkaya Fortress. Described as a border patrol station located on the ‘King’s Road’, Pişmiş Fortress was an important fortress settlement thanks to its location. Akpara Fortress is located 1350m northeast, Gökgöz Fortress 470 m south, Kocabaş Fortress 950m southeast, and the Areyastis Monument 1250m west of Pişmiş Fortress. These fortresses are scattered throughout the valley and not connected by any straight line. They were positioned far from one another due to the vast length and width of the valley, as well as the width of its passes, created by the steeply descending extensions of the Turkmen Mountain’s slopes reaching the valley’s southern side. The fortresses are extensive on the eastern side of the valley; that is to say, to the west of the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley. Fortresses in Kümbet Valley must have been related to the Yazılıkaya-Midas Fortress because the southwestern entrance to the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley is the eastern entrance to the Kümbet Valley. Located on the edge of plateaus or at high, inaccessible points where they can control entrance and exit to the valleys, these fortresses are noteworthy for their proximity to the surrounding agricultural and forested land. Thanks to their strategic locations, they are all quick and easy to defend. Due to their positions overlooking the roads, nearby routes could be easily controlled from these fortresses. Most of these fortresses sit atop high, independent hills. Additionally, they are positioned near agricultural areas and sources of water, facing in directions from which they can control their surroundings. The monuments found in Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley and Kümbet Valley to its southeast in particular indicate that these valleys were the Phrygians most important holy areas. For this reason, defensive fortresses were built making use of the valley’s topographic make up. Keywords: Phrygians, Highlands of Phrygia, Phrygian Monuments (façade, altar, and niches), Yazılıkaya/Midas Fortress.
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Papers by Yusuf Polat
cliffs and deep valleys, encircled by fortifications hewn from volcanic rock,
represents the most significant sacred settlement of the Phrygian Civilization.
The unique rock monuments on the plateau serve as critical tangible evidence
illuminating Phrygian religious practices. Recent excavations were conducted
in the vicinity of the monumental Phrygian rock-cut altar, located to the west
of the acropolis. This area is referred to as the Agdistis Sanctuary due to the
inscribed votive steles from the Roman Period previously uncovered here. These
excavations have yielded vital insights into the organization of ritual activities
performed directly in front of the rock-cut altar. This paper aims to evaluate the
architectural features unearthed for the first time through extensive excavations
at this Phrygian rock-cut altar, in light of archaeological and anthropological
findings, and to elucidate the usage of this space for ritual preparations.
called the ‘Phrygian Valley’, named due to the fact that although the region has
been home to continuous settlement from the Lower Paleolithic Period to today
thanks to its location and fertile lands, its most important archeologic artifacts
belong to the Phrygian Period. Having adopted a belief in the Mother Goddess,
which has deep roots in Anatolia stretching back thousands of years, the
Phrygians built cultic monuments in the name of the goddess which they called
‘Matar’ for use in rituals concerning fertility, abundance, and protection. These
monuments were comprised of small and monumental-sized monuments, altars,
and niches built at the entrance to settlements, in high places, near sources of
water and at the edge of fields, and sometimes at the entrance to fortresses using
the easily carved bedrock found in nature. The Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument is
one of the most distinctive examples of these cultic monuments. Having remained
standing for over 3000 years, the Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument has been subjected
to general wear, deformations, and structural weakening on its journey to the
modern day. In this project we’ve reviewed the deformations present on the
Yazılıkaya/Midas Monument, which, located in the Yazılıkaya Valley, is known
as the most magnificent of all Phrygian stone monuments, in addition to
addressing the conservation-restoration projects that have been carried out as well
as conservation proposals necessary in preserving the monument for future
generations.
Öz
Eskişehir İli Seyitgazi ve Han ilçelerinde gerçekleştirdiğimiz yüzey araştırmalarında, 2019 yılında Eskişehir İli, Seyitgazi İlçesi’nin 15 km doğusunda, Gümüşbel Köyü’nün 1 km güneydoğusundaki Eski Cami Höyük (eski adı Hüsnüabad, Ma Başı) ziyaret edilmiştir. Üzerinde İslam Dönemi’ne ait bir mezarlık bulunan höyüğün korunduğu kadarıyla çapı 180 m, yüksekliği ise 3,5 m’dir. Bu ziyaret sırasında, höyüğün üzerinde ve eteklerinde, Son Kalkolitik Çağ, İlk Tunç Çağı 2-3, Klasik Dönem ve MÖ 8. yy’a tarihlenen Demirçağ seramikleri saptanmıştır. Höyüğün güneydoğu eteğinde ise tüf taşından yapılmış, üzerinde Eski Phrygce yazıtlı idol şeklinde bir stel bulunmuştur.
Bu makalede Eski Phrygce yazıtlı idol şeklindeki stel tanıtılmakla birlikte, bu stelin Phryg ikonografisi ve dilbilimi için önemi tartışılmaktadır. İdol şeklinde betimlenmiş tüf blok üzerine kazıma şeklinde yapılmış olan üç baş ve uzun gövdeler (?) Ana Tanrıça ve birlikte ona eşlik eden tanrılarla birlikte gösterilmiş olduğuna işaret etmektedir. Başlardan ikisi yan yana yapılmış ve çift sıra kazıma çizgi ile sınırlandırılmış, diğer üçüncü baş da bu iki başın tam ortasına, iki başı sınırlandıran ve ortada buluşan çift sıra çizginin kesiştiği noktaya yapılmıştır. Stel üzerinde, başların üst kısmında bir satır, başların altında ise üç satır Eski Phrygce yazıt bulunur. Yazıttan anlaşıldığı üzere idol şeklindeki stel muhtemelen bir sınır taşı olarak kullanılmıştır. Yazıtın tercümesi şu şekilde olmalıdır: “Atas. Benim anıtım bir sınır taşıdır”.
.
An Idol-shaped Stele with an Old Phrygian Inscription in The Territory of Nakoleia
Abstract
During the archaeological surveys conducted in Seyitgazi and Han Districts of Eskişehir Province in 2019, we have visited Eski Cami Höyük (formerly known as Hüsnüabad) which is located 1 km southeast of Gümüşbel Village, 15 km east of Seyitgazi District in Eskişehir Province. The mound is under a cemetery from the Islamic Period and has a preserved diameter of 180 m with a 3.5 m height. During this visit, Iron Age ceramics were identified on the mound and its skirts, dating to the Late Chalcolithic Age, the Early Bronze Age 2-3, the Classical Period, and the 8th Century BC. On the south-eastern skirt of the mound, an idol-shaped stele with an Old Phrygian inscription was found. In this article, we describe the newly found stele and the inscription and discuss its importance for the Phrygian iconography and linguistics. Three heads and a long body (?) engraved on the idol-shaped tufa block may signify the Mother Goddess together with the gods that accompany her. Two of the heads were made right next to each other and are bordered by a double engraved line. The third head was placed between the other two, made at the point where the double engraved lines that border the two heads meet in the middle. On the stele, there is one line of an Old Phrygian inscription above the heads and three lines just under them. It follows from the inscription that the idol was probably used as a boundary stone.112
The clear part of the inscription can be translated as follows: “Atas. My monument is a boundary stone.”
built in honor of the mother goddess “Matar Kubileya”, constructed in harmony with nature and containing physical reflections of Phrygian religious architecture. In addition to the Gods and Goddesses being portrayed anthropomorphically, or ascribing human form, in Phrygian art, idols of simply schematized imagery were also interpreted as abstract representations of these deities. The Yazılıkaya/Midas Kale located in the Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley is home to a higher concentration of these idols carved into natural stone than any other area. The subject of this paper is the stone idol identified during 2018 surface survey carried out in the Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley on a single rock block located in the area known as “Harlık”, 3600 meters from the village of Yazılıkaya.
This area was continuous inhabited throughout the ages thanks to its abundance of wetlands and defensively strategic topography. In addition to its political and cultural importance, this is a region, with 24 currently known Phrygian fortress settlements dating to between the 8th century BCE and the first half of the 6th century BCE, in which interpreting the Phrygian’s defense system and strategies is possible. With its fortress settlements nearly lined up one after another, this place is the Yazılıkaya/Midas Valley located south of Eskisehir within the borders of Mountainous Phrygia. In addition to the information gathered since the 19th century by researchers and travelers to the region, research carried out in the region has shown that this valley in Mountainous Phrygia is home to extensive numbers of Phrygian settlements and stone monuments built in honor of the mother goddess Matar.
The Midas Fortress is located 30 km south of Eskisehir’s Seyitgazi District, 13.5 km northwest of the Han District, and 75 km from Eskisehir itself. Positioned on top of the rockwork southwest of Yazılıkaya Village, the Yazılıkaya/Midas Fortress has been referred to as ‘Midas City’ by some researchers. The Phrygians built numerous cultic monuments consisting of facades, altars, and niches where they would worship the Mother Goddess Matar into the rockwork, hillsides, and anywhere with suitable rock composition. Cisterns, both small and monumental, water collection pools, and vaulted gateways are also present in this settlement. The area is surrounded by rock-cut tombs and residences dating to the Phrygian, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Periods. Adorned with cultic structures, this settlement appears to be a kind of regional sanctuary.
The only fortress settlement in the valley to have been excavated in definite intervals is the Yazılıkaya /Midas Fortress. In 1936, Director of the Istanbul French Archeology Institute, Art Historian and Architect A. Gabriel began the first excavations on behalf of the French Archeology Institute. In addition to a small amount of ceramic sherds dated to the Early Bronze Age, artifacts dating to the 2nd century BCE and the Phrygian, Hellenistic, and Roman Periods were discovered during the short-lived excavations of at the fortress. Whether considering the short-lived excavations carried out at the fortress or the artifacts recovered during newly performed surveys, the structural foundations belonging to the settlement and the stone monuments seen on site indicate that the Midas Fortress was a significant settlement during the Middle Phrygian Period.
Another reason for the high number of fortresses in the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley is the presence of large scale monuments (façade, altar, and niches) carved into the tufa located in this valley. The Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley was an important settlement area for the Phrygian Civilization, the City at Yazılıkaya-Midas a religious metropolis. For this reason, the Phrygians constructed fortresses using the natural rockwork on the rocky hilltops above transit points in order to strengthen their defensive formation and protect their holy sanctuaries. The fortresses in the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley are separated by an average distance of 1.5 km. The Kocabaş Fortress is located 2000m east of the Yazılıkaya-Midas Fortress. It’s rocky, tree-covered, makeshift construction gives the impression of a less than defensively strong fortress. However, when viewed from the east, the fortress’s steepening cliff-side reaches a height of 64m and appears quite formidable. This Fortress served as a preliminary patrol to the Pişmiş Fortress. It also constituted the mountainous region’s northern border. Pişmiş Fortress is found 1500m northeast of the Yazılıkaya Fortress. Described as a border patrol station located on the ‘King’s Road’, Pişmiş Fortress was an important fortress settlement thanks to its location. Akpara Fortress is located 1350m northeast, Gökgöz Fortress 470 m south, Kocabaş Fortress 950m southeast, and the Areyastis Monument 1250m west of Pişmiş Fortress.
These fortresses are scattered throughout the valley and not connected by any straight line. They were positioned far from one another due to the vast length and width of the valley, as well as the width of its passes, created by the steeply descending extensions of the Turkmen Mountain’s slopes reaching the valley’s southern side. The fortresses are extensive on the eastern side of the valley; that is to say, to the west of the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley. Fortresses in Kümbet Valley must have been related to the Yazılıkaya-Midas Fortress because the southwestern entrance to the Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley is the eastern entrance to the Kümbet Valley.
Located on the edge of plateaus or at high, inaccessible points where they can control entrance and exit to the valleys, these fortresses are noteworthy for their proximity to the surrounding agricultural and forested land. Thanks to their strategic locations, they are all quick and easy to defend. Due to their positions overlooking the roads, nearby routes could be easily controlled from these fortresses.
Most of these fortresses sit atop high, independent hills. Additionally, they are positioned near agricultural areas and sources of water, facing in directions from which they can control their surroundings. The monuments found in Yazılıkaya-Midas Valley and Kümbet Valley to its southeast in particular indicate that these valleys were the Phrygians most important holy areas. For this reason, defensive fortresses were built making use of the valley’s topographic make up.
Keywords: Phrygians, Highlands of Phrygia, Phrygian Monuments (façade, altar, and niches), Yazılıkaya/Midas Fortress.