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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Gordion Tümülüs W |
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Type:
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Tumulus |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Central Anatolia |
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Province:
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Ankara |
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District:
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Polatli |
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Village:
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Yassihöyük |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Early Phrygian |
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| Location: It lies 1-1.5 km northeast of the Tumulus MM. It is the second largest tumulus of the necropolis following the Tumulus MM. |
| Geography and Environment: |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was excavated in 1959 by an American excavation team under the direction of R.S. Young. |
| Stratigraphy: |
| Small Finds: Grave: It is 22 m in height, and 150 m in base diameter. A pit was dug at a depth of 1 m fro the grave chamber, and the bottom was filled with rubbles. The interior dimensions of the grave chamber are 4.62x3.3x1.55 m, lying almost in east-west orientation. The floor of the grave chamber was paved with 0.05 m thick planks having a width varying from 0.19 to 0.54 m. It has a flat roof, covered with wooden beams. No detailed information is available about the structure of the grave due to collapse of the stones and clay piled over the outer roof of the wooden grave. The bones of the burial were found in the center of the floor planks. The grave goods were smashed and scattered as a result of the collapse of the roof. Pottery: The ceramics uncovered from the grave include a jug with three strainers, a coarse ware black burnished storage vessel, and five amphorae. Wood: Two discs, five fragmentary plates and one board were found. Referred as a screen by R.S. Young, this furniture, whose fragments were found in the southeast corner of the chamber, is likely to be an engraved and bossed serving stand according to E. Simpson. Metal: Inside the two large bronze cauldrons there were terracotta and bronze pots. A jug with a very long spouts was decorated entirely with geometric patterns without any band or animal patterns. This jug is earlier than the painted vessels found at the Tumulus lll. Majority of the bronze vessels were not moulded, but hammered. The middle of this vessel is decorated with a rosette instead of ridges. The earliest examples of such vessels with rosette decorations are Assyrian. The nail heads on a belt uncovered from the Tumulus W look like elegant beads, providing a web-like decoration. Among the other finds are two cauldrons with 2 bull's head attachments, 2 small cauldrons with bucket handles and bird attachments, a sieve spouted jug with round-mouth, a footed jug with rounded mouth, 2 ladles, 2 omphalos bowl with relief decoration, ribbed omphalos bowl, 7 plain omphalos bowls, 5 plain bowls, a pair of bowl handles, 2 bronze and leather belts, fragment of a bronze rosette, 8 fibulae found on or near the skeleton, 7 fibulae found on the floor on the northeast corner of the grave, 7 fibulae found on the eastern end of the grave, 3 fibulae scattered around the floor on the eastern end of the grave, 4 fibulae found under the bird bowls, and 5 fibulae found on the northeast corner of the grave. Other: Also found is a spherical ornament for necklace in ivory. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The Tumulus W was dated to the late 9th century BC and the early 8th century BC by R.S. Young. |
