Gordion
First settlement in Gordion located in the Yassıhöyük village of the Polatlı province is inhabited as the end of the 3.000 B. C. Various layers of settlements respectively belonging to the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Persians and Romans were excavated in this ancient site. The city which experienced its most glorious days during the time of legendary King Midas( 725- 695 B. C.) was declared as the capital city in the 8th century B. C. by Phrygian King Gordios. It was destroyed in 695 B. C. by the Cimmerians and reestablished as a commercial and military center under the dominance of Lydians. The city which was ruled by the Persians in 546 B. C., Alexander the Great in 333 B. C., and Galatians in 278 B. C. and was founded abandoned by the Roman Army in 189 B. C. It lost its importance during the Roman Period and became a small settlement. The biggest monumental tomb found in the Ancient site is believed to be belonging to the King Midas and named the Midas Tomb. The tomb has a 300 metere diameter and 55 meter height and known as the second biggest monumental tomb in Anatolia. Among the most important of other tombs in the Gordion ancient site is the tomb which is believed to be constructed in 700 B. C. The child skeleton as well as wooden lion, horse and deer toys found in this tomb room of the monument with 80 meter diameter and 12 meter height revealed that this was a child’ s tomb. The famous knot which was the subject of historical legends was cut by Macedonian King, the Alexander the Great, in this ancient site. The untimely death of the Alexander the Great is related to his impatient solution instead of trying to untie the knot.
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