14 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Excavations in and around Yazıkaya, one of the monumental works of the Phrygians, start again after 71 years.

Archaeological excavations at Midas Castle in Yazılıkaya Midas Valley in the Han district of Eskişehir, located in northwest Turkey, will be resumed after 71 years by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Anadolu University.

The first archaeological excavations in Midas Castle, at the southern end of the Yazılıkaya Midas Valley in the Han district of Eskişehir, were started in 1936 by Albert Gabriel, the director of this institute, on behalf of the French Archeology Institute in Istanbul.

Short-term excavations were carried out until 1939 under the supervision of Albert Gabriel and E. Haspels.

Turkish scientist Halet Çambel also participated in the work in the castle. Excavation and cleaning work at Pişmiş Castle, 2 kilometers northeast of here, and Midas Castle excavations ended in 1939 with the start of the 2nd World War. Excavations continued in 1949 and 1951 by the French Archeology Institute after the war.

New excavations will begin at Midas Castle, where the Yazılıkaya Monument, one of the most important religious monuments of the Phrygians, is located.

New excavations will begin in Midas Castle, where one of the most important religious monuments of the Phrygians is Yazılıkaya Monument, under the chairmanship of Anadolu University Archeology Department Lecturer Associate Professor Yusuf Polat. Archaeological data to be obtained from Yazılıkaya Midas Kale is expected to provide more information about the Phrygians.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Phrygian Culture Keeps Its Mysterious

Stating that as a result of the excavations, parts of the Phrygian culture that remained in the dark can also be brought to light, Polat used the following statements:

The fact that the information about the Phrygians in the ancient written sources is scarce and in some cases contains contradictory statements is the main reason why this culture still remains a mystery to a large extent. The fact that the written documents are scarce and the existing inscriptions are both short and most of the inscriptions are votive inscriptions does not help to break up the veil of secrecy.

Doğanlıkale, which draws attention among the numerous artifacts found in the Phrygian Valley

The scarcity of archaeological excavations and research in the areas where Phrygian culture spread also plays a role in the limited information about this culture. Although the Midas Valley is a special and religious area with cult monuments belonging to the Phrygian period, it is a settlement that has the potential to illuminate the obscure part of this culture, with all kinds of archaeological data to be obtained thanks to new excavations in this area.

Cover Photo: Yazılıkaya Monument

Related Articles

Archaeologists discovered the earliest Iron Age house in Athens and Attica

26 May 2023

26 May 2023

A research team from the University of Göttingen discovered the earliest  Iron Age house in Athens and Attica. Archaeologists from...

Declassified CIA Satellite Spy Program Reveals Lost Ancient Roman Forts

26 October 2023

26 October 2023

Archaeologists have discovered “massive” ancient Roman forts that redraw the borders of the ancient empire using images from a declassified...

What Lies Beneath Bor Ovoo? Turkish and Mongolian Researchers Set to Unearth Ancient Nomadic Traditions

20 July 2025

20 July 2025

Renowned historian Prof. Dr. Kürşad Yıldırım, a leading expert in Central Asian nomadic cultures from Istanbul University, is spearheading a...

Treasure Hunters’ permission given to raise mystery canister in hunt for lost Nazi Gold

5 August 2022

5 August 2022

Treasure hunters claim they have permission to lift a buried canister that they believe may hold the loot next month...

Remarkable Discovery: Roman-British Coins Hoard Unearthed Near Utrecht, Netherlands

29 January 2025

29 January 2025

In 2023, a unique collection of 404 silver and gold coins dating back to 46 A.D. has been discovered by...

Incredibly Rare Tyrian Purple Discovered at Carlisle Roman bathhouse

5 May 2024

5 May 2024

A rare archaeological object – thought to be the only one of its type in the former Roman Empire –...

3D Scans reveal details of ‘unusual’ Roman burial ritual

6 June 2023

6 June 2023

Archaeologists at the University of York, have used 3D scans to study the Roman burial practice of pouring liquid gypsum...

Rare Ancient Stamps Found in Falster May Show Way to an Unknown King’s Home

27 July 2023

27 July 2023

In the center of Falster, southeast of Denmark, a man with a metal detector has made an important discovery. The...

The Oldest “Book” of Europe: Derveni Papyrus

4 September 2022

4 September 2022

The Derveni papyrus is considered Europe’s oldest legible manuscript still in existence today. It is an ancient Greek papyrus roll...

Tomb of a Roman doctor buried with unique surgical tools unearthed in Hungary

28 April 2023

28 April 2023

Hungarian archaeologists discovered the tomb of a Roman doctor 1st-century man buried with high-quality surgical tools near the city of...

A Medieval ‘Vampire’ Grave Found in Croatia

1 February 2025

1 February 2025

Research at the Rašaška (or Račeša) site, located in the eastern part of Croatia, revealed a grave with an unusual...

Bidnija olive trees have seen medieval, not the Roman period

13 July 2021

13 July 2021

The olive trees in the Bidnija grove on the island of Malta are believed to be 2000 years old. But...

The 5,000-Year-Old Beaded Burials that Reveal Women’s Power in Copper Age Iberia: Over 270,000 Beads

6 February 2025

6 February 2025

Archaeologists investigating the Montelirio tholos burial site in southwestern Spain, dating back approximately 5,000 years, have uncovered that the women...

A 1700-year-old Roman water tunnel dug into the mountain was discovered in Adıyaman province in southeastern Türkiye

13 September 2023

13 September 2023

It was revealed that in the Besni district of Adıyaman province, located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, the...

Beehives of Saudi Arabia’s Thought to be Over 1,000 Years Old

20 July 2024

20 July 2024

Located in the majestic Sarawat Mountain range in western Saudi Arabia, the ancient beehives in the Maysan Governorate constitute a...