Everyone knows the story of King Midas and his golden touch. In Greco-Roman mythology, the Phrygian king Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. While it amazed Midas that everything he touched actually did turn to gold—from a twig to a husk of corn—he soon discovered just how reckless his request was, for he could not eat or drink anything but gold.
The historical King Midas inspired this character in Classical mythology. King Midas ruled over a group of people known as the Phrygians in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). It was during the reign of Midas (c. 750–700 B.C.E.) that Phrygia reached the height of its wealth and power. Indeed, archaeological excavations at Gordion, the capital of Phrygia, revealed a massive citadel complex and a series of wealthy tombs dating to the reign of Midas. At the end of the eighth century B.C.E., the citadel was destroyed in a major fire, possibly due to the invasion of the Cimmerians from the east.a
Now on view at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is The Golden Age of King Midas. The unprecedented exhibit showcases the magnificent objects that have come to light from the Gordion excavations, which began in 1950 under the auspices of the Penn Museum and are ongoing today. Objects from a spectacular tomb at Gordion believed to belong to King Gordios, Midas’s father, will be on display, including large bronze cauldrons (likely used to hold beer), bronze drinking bowls (see image) and intricate bronze fibulae (ancient safety pins). Also included in the exhibit are funerary objects from other royal tombs and a late-ninth-century B.C.E. pebble mosaic floor (the oldest known in the world) from Gordion as well as dazzling artifacts from neighboring Scythians, Lydians, Urartians, Assyrians and Persians.
Running through November 27, 2016, The Golden Age of King Midas features 150 artifacts from the Penn Museum’s own collection as well as from Turkish museums in Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya and Gordion.
Through November 27, 2016 University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Philadelphia, PA www.penn.museum
Everyone knows the story of King Midas and his golden touch. In Greco-Roman mythology, the Phrygian king Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. While it amazed Midas that everything he touched actually did turn to gold—from a twig to a husk of corn—he soon discovered just how reckless his request was, for he could not eat or drink anything but gold. The historical King Midas inspired this character in Classical mythology. King Midas ruled over a group of people known as the Phrygians in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). It was during the reign of Midas […]
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