GORDION ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE AND MUSEUM: A CRITIQUE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY DENİZ ECEMİŞ-ÖZBİLEN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE JULY 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin GENÇÖZ Director I certify that thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof Dr. F. Cânâ BİLSEL Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Dr. Belgin TURAN ÖZKAYA Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ela ALANYALI ARAL (METU, ARCH) Prof. Dr. Belgin TURAN ÖZKAYA (METU, AH) Prof. Dr. Namık Günay ERKAL (TEDU, ARCH) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Deniz ECEMİŞ-ÖZBİLEN Signature : iii ABSTRACT GORDION ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE AND MUSEUM: A CRITIQUE ECEMİŞ-ÖZBİLEN, Deniz M.A., Department of History of Architecture Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Belgin Turan Özkaya July 2019, 195 pages Gordion is one of the most important archaeological sites, both because it was the cultural and political capital of Phrygia and has been the most excavated and studied Phrygian site so far. Despite the fact that Phrygians have a deep-rooted place in the history of Anatolia, and despite the inherited cultural heritage, they have not been able to go beyond a couple of legends and characters in the social memory. This thesis examines the Gordion archaeological site and museum by focusing on the concepts of archaeology, museum and cultural memory. It is aimed to study the Gordion Archaeological Museum by placing the processes of the archaeological excavations, construction of the on-site museum, and Gordion as a cultural landscape into the context of the evolution of archaeology and museology from the mid-19th century in the Ottoman Empire to the mid-20th century in Republic of Turkey. Within the scope of the thesis, the Phrygians –which still maintain their physical and cultural traces in the Anatolian lands– and the capital Gordion are discussed extensively. Based on the history of the Gordion Archaeological Museum and the archaeological excavations carried on since 1950, an answer to the question “Why the knowledge about Gordion, which had been settled by various civilizations for centuries, cannot go beyond a few public figures and legends?’ is provided through an analysis of the architectural, sociological, and cultural details. iv Keywords: archaeology, archaeological museums, cultural memory, Phrygians, Gordion v ÖZ GORDİON ÖREN YERİ VE MÜZESİ DEĞERLENDİRMESİ ECEMİŞ-ÖZBİLEN, Deniz Yüksek Lisans, Mimarlık Tarihi Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Belgin Turan Özkaya Temmuz 2019, 195 sayfa Gordion, Frigya'nın kültürel ve politik başkenti olması ve bugüne dek en çok kazılan ve çalışılan Frigya bölgesi olması nedeniyle en önemli arkeolojik alanlardan biridir. Frigler'in Anadolu’da köklü bir yeri ve kültürel mirası olmasına rağmen, toplumsal hafızada birkaç efsane ve karakterden öteye geçememektedirler. Bu tez çalışması, Gordion Antik Kenti ve çevresini, arkeoloji, müze ve kültürel hafıza kavramlarını odağına alarak inceliyor. Arkeolojik kazı ve müzenin kuruluş süreçlerini ve bir kültürel peyzaj olarak Gordion’u 19. yüzyıl Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’ndan 20. yüzyıl Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’ne kadar olan süreçteki arkeoloji ve müzeciliğin gelişimi bağlamına oturtarak araştırmayı amaçlıyor. Tez kapsamında, Anadolu topraklarında gerek fiziki gerek kültürel olarak izlerini hala barındıran Frigler ve başkenti Gordion kapsamlı bir şekilde ele alınıyor. “Tarih boyunca birçok medeniyete ev sahipliği yapmış, Friglere ise başkent olmuş Gordion hakkındaki bilgilerimiz neden birkaç isim ve efsaneden öteye gidememektedir?” sorusuna, Gordion Arkeoloji Müzesi tarihi ve Gordion Antik Kenti’nde 1950 yılından beri sürdürülen kazı çalışmaları temel alınarak hem mimari hem sosyolojik hem de kültürel detayları analiz eden bir cevap aranıyor. Anahtar kelimeler: arkeoloji, arkeoloji müzeleri, kültürel hafıza, Frigler, Gordion Antik Kenti vi To my mother and father who have dedicated all their life to me… vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr. Belgin Turan Özkaya for all her guidance, criticisms, encouragements and contributions throughout this research. Her support has been a tremendous benefit during this process. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Deputy Director of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Halil Demirdelen, who has been generous with his time, comments and suggestions. I would also like to thank the Gordion archivist of Penn Museum in University of Pennsylvania Gareth Darbyshire who helped me patiently by sharing all the materials each time that I would like to reach. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my dear friends; Derya Marangoz for always being there with her support and patience and for helping me in drawing the 3D modeling of the non-implemented building project, Yasemin Canik for her inspiring courage and support all throughout the time and for making me smile in my toughest times, Erdi Emekli for his patience with my never-ending wishes, Pelin Duba for her sweet support and endless joy. I am deeply grateful to my second family Zeliha Özbilen, İsa Özbilen and Ata Özbilen for their invaluable patience, understanding and encouragement during the course of this work. I would like to express deepest gratitude to my mother Buket Yararbaş Ecemiş and my father Osman Sungur Ecemiş. Their trust and support kept me going throughout this research. It would never been realized without their never-ending love. Above all, no words could explain my gratitude to my soul mate, Başar Özbilen, who had always been there for me whenever I needed him, with his endless love, energy and viii motivation; to support, to encourage, and to help me in every way possible. I know that nothing could have been ever made, without him. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM…………………………………….………………………………...... iii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………iv ÖZ……………………………………………………………………………………...vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………......... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………xii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………….….......1 2. THE EVOLUTION OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND MUSEOLOGY FROM THE MID-19TH CENTURY IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE TO THE MID-20TH CENTURY IN REPUBLIC OF TURKEY……………………......9 2.1 The Case of the Ottoman Empire……………………………………..…9 2.1.1 Archaeology and Museology in the Late Ottoman Empire…..….9 2.1.2 The Ottoman Museology in the Beginning of the 20th Century .. 22 2.2 The Case of the Republic of Turkey ....................................................... 25 2.2.1 Forming Cultural Identity in the Republic of Turkey ................. 25 2.2.1.1 Museology in the Early Republican Turkey ................. 31 2.2.1.2 Archaeology in the Early Republican Turkey ............... 39 3. ANKARA GORDION EXAMPLE ................................................................. 47 3.1 History of the Phrygians .......................................................................... 47 3.1.1 Phrygians and Ankara .................................................................. 50 3.2 History of Gordion .................................................................................. 60 3.3 The Location of Gordion and the Cultural Landscape of Phrygia .......... 64 3.4 Main Elements of Gordion ...................................................................... 70 3.4.1 Citadel Mound .............................................................................. 70 3.4.2 Tumulus ........................................................................................ 80 3.4.2.1 The Great Tumulus (Tumulus MM) ............................... 85 x 3.5 History of Archaeological Excavation in Gordion.................................. 90 3.6 Gordion Archaeological Museum ........................................................... 99 3.6.1 The Unimplemented Museum ...................................................... 99 3.6.2 Current Museum ........................................................................ 107 3.7 Yassıhöyük ............................................................................................ 121 3.8 Social Changes due to Excavations ...................................................... 127 3.9 Digital Gordion Mapping Project.......................................................... 130 3.10 The Exhibition of “The Golden Age of King Midas” ........................... 134 3.11 The Current Visitor Experience ............................................................ 140 3.12 Gordion Archaeological Museum With Respect to Other On-Site Museums in Turkey ............................................................................... 146 3.13 Forming Cultural Identity and the Place of the Phrygian Culture ........ 154 4. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 158 REFERENCES...............................................................................................................165