Many people have heard of King Midas and the very unlikely power he had. For those of you who do not know the story, everything he touched turned to gold. This obviously led to a big problem at meal times! It is important to state that King Midas is likely a mythical figure of Greek mythology. He was allegedly the King of Phrygia. However, although the existence of King Midas is in question, it does not alter the fact that a new tomb has been discovered.
It was discovered in Turkey, southwest of the capital of Ankara. It is located within the region of the old city of Gordion. The exciting thing about this discovery is that it has not been looted, as so many other tombs have been. Most of these tombs were robbed thousands of years ago. The artefacts found have led archaeologists to believe it is a royal tomb and that perhaps it might be a relative of our speculative King Midas.
The tomb is believed to date back two thousand eight hundred years. The reason there is a connection to King Midas is that the remains come from Phrygia. One of the aspects of this burial is that the body has been cremated. This is not unusual in itself, but it is the only one found so far in this region during this period.
Over one hundred and twenty burial mounds have been discovered in the area, and it is thought there are many more to be found. As you can see from the picture, the burial chamber is made out of wood. The metal you can see is modern and there to keep the structure stable. The artefacts are now in the Gordion Museum. Perhaps one day, the archaeologists will find a tomb which settles the debate over whether King Midas existed or not.
John Pullen 