An untouched wooden burial chamber believed to belong to a member of the Phrygian royal family was discovered in the ancient city of Gordion, Turkey, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced during a press conference. "In the 47th tumulus excavated in the ancient city, called the T26 tumulus, a burial chamber with dimensions of 3.1 meters by 2.8 meters and wooden construction was uncovered," Ersoy stated.

Gordion, situated at the modern-day site of Yassıhöyük in Ankara Province, emerged as the capital of the Phrygians in the early first millennium BCE and is still inhabited today. The ancient city was officially included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 after a decade on the Tentative List. With a history dating back 4,500 years, Gordion is one of the few archaeological sites in the world with continuous habitation since the Early Bronze Age, around 2,500 BCE.

The city is mainly known for its connection with King Midas, who ruled it in the late 8th century BCE during the Middle Phrygian period at Gordion. Historical references to Midas exist in both Greek and Assyrian sources, and there are many often contradictory legends about him. King Midas is remembered in history for the myth of his "golden touch," where everything he touched turned to gold, a story known as the "Midas Touch."

The tomb uncovered by archaeologists from the Gordion Project potentially belongs to a member of King Midas' family from the 8th century BCE. Charles Brian Rose from the Gordion Project said, "We have bronze vessels from the middle of the 8th century BCE. It's about the same time as the tumulus that Midas built for his father." He added, "If you look at the types of vessels that surround the remains of the body, they're pretty much the same as what you find in the Midas Mound."

The excavation of Tumulus T26, the 47th tumulus explored at the site, was conducted under the guidance of Professor Süleyman Yücel Şenyurt from the Department of Archaeology at Hacı Bayram Veli University in Ankara. The excavation lasted 121 days and shed light on the burial traditions of the Phrygians.

"In total, 88 metal artifacts were discovered. Among them, we found large cauldrons and other objects inside the tomb, as well as bronze vessels with iron nails on the northern and southern walls, which were recovered almost intact," he said. The funerary artifacts include cauldrons, incense burners, and ceremonial vessels made from well-preserved bronze and iron.

"Currently, 47 of these artifacts were brought to our Gordion Museum after restoration and conservation processes were completed," Ersoy stated, adding that the remaining items will follow after the completion of conservation work. "This year we will complete the works to exhibit the burial chamber and the found artifacts on site," he said, with plans for the exhibition to be completed by the end of 2025.

Recent excavations at Gordion are led by Professor Dr. Brian Rose from the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Since 1950, work continued uninterrupted under the auspices of the university's museum.

Written with the help of a news-analysis system.